UN Chief Reaffirms Algeria's Role as Main Party in Dispute over Moroccan Sahara

21 October 2024 Printable Version

New York (United Nations) - In his annual report to the Security Council on the Moroccan Sahara, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recalled the statement of the Algerian ministry of Foreign Affairs of July 25, expressing its "deep disapproval" following France's decision in support of Morocco's sovereignty over its Sahara, which the Algerian side described as "unexpected, inopportune and counterproductive".

The UN chief said that the Algerian ministry had also announced the withdrawal of its ambassador to France, in reaction to the French decision supporting Morocco's autonomy plan in the Kngdom's southern provinces.

Mr. Guterres also highlighted Algeria’s participation, along with other parties, in the bilateral consultations held by his Personal Envoy to the Moroccan Sahara, held between February and April 2024.

He referred to the Personal Envoy’s several visits to Algiers and his meetings with the minister of Foreign Affairs as well as with Algerian officials, as a direct party in the dispute over the Moroccan Sahara.

The UN Secretary-General noted that the difficult context makes the resolution of this dispute more urgent than ever. To this end, he calls on Algeria to engage in good faith in the political process led under the auspices of its Personal Envoy, with a view to achieving a realistic, pragmatic, lasting and compromise political solution, in accordance with the practices established by Security Council resolutions since 2018, with the participation of the four parties in the round tables.

Mr. Guterres also called on Algeria to focus on common interests, to refrain from further aggravating the situation through rhetoric and continued unilateral actions, and to demonstrate political will for the settlement of this dispute that it has fabricated.

The UN Secretary-General highlighted the glaring paradoxes of Algeria, which not only shirks its historical responsibilities in this dispute, but also tries in vain to hide behind a so-called "Observer" status, by reaffirming to the Personal Envoy for the Moroccan Sahara "its continued focus on achieving a solution to this dispute."

The UN chief also underlined the crucial role of neighboring States in settling this regional dispute, as well as the importance of strong political will and continued support of the international community in this regard.

Finally, the UN Secretary-General is confronting Algeria with a tough choice: to adopt a constructive, peaceful approach that respects the principle of good neighbourliness and the peaceful settlement of disputes, or to sink into the fiasco of its Polisario agenda.