Morocco’s foreign minister Nasser Bourita held talks with Staffan de Mistura, the Personal Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for the Sahara Sahara, in New York on Monday.
The meeting took place at the request of the UN envoy and was attended by Omar Hilale, Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
This meeting is part of De Mistura’s ongoing consultations ahead of upcoming sessions of the UN Security Council concerning the Sahara issue.
During the talks, the Moroccan delegation reaffirmed the Kingdom’s consistent and principled position, as defined by King Mohammed VI, in favor of a political, realistic, pragmatic, and lasting solution based exclusively on the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative, within the framework of national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The delegation also reiterated Morocco’s support for the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy.
Discussions further addressed recent developments in international support for Morocco’s position, particularly the growing recognition of the Moroccan character of the Sahara and the Autonomy Initiative as the sole basis for resolving the regional dispute. The meeting took place within the broader diplomatic momentum initiated by the Sovereign.
Morocco has the support of three UN security council members for its autonomy plan. France and Washington in particular recognize Morocco’s full sovereignty over the territory.
The UK said autonomy was the most feasible basis to solve the conflict.