Western Sahara: Morocco not against Atlantic access for Algeria
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has said he does not oppose granting Algeria access to the Atlantic Ocean through Western Sahara, according to MiddleEastMonitor.
The indirect proposal came in a speech by the King on the nation’s Green March Day on November 6th.
Green March Day commemorates the mass march of 350,000 Moroccans into Spanish occupied Western Sahara in 1975.
In his speech, the king referenced “those who exploit the Sahara issue to obtain access to the Atlantic Ocean”.
He said: “We do not reject that.”
“Morocco has proposed an international initiative to facilitate the access of the Sahel countries to the Atlantic Ocean, within the framework of partnership and cooperation, and to achieve joint progress for all the people of the region.”
Last December, African Sahel countries agreed in Marrakesh to create working groups in each country to propose ways to establish their access to the Atlantic Ocean.
The king reiterated that Algeria has strategic ambitions of access to the Atlantic Ocean via Western Sahara but did not rebuke them.
This is the first time since the outbreak of the conflict that Morocco has not opposed granting Algeria such access.
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While he praised the people’s support for the Western Sahara autonomy proposal, he condemned the UN for its insistence on old solutions.
He said: “It is time for the UN to assume its responsibility and clarify the big difference between the real and legitimate world represented by Morocco in its Sahara, and a frozen world, far from reality and its developments.”
The UN envoy for Western Sahara has recently proposed partition as a solution to the nearly 50 year dispute over the region.
According to Levantis.me, in a closed briefing last month, UN envoy Staffan Mistura outlined his vision for the region, with part of the territory becoming fully independent.
The veteran Italian diplomat said that partition “could allow for the creation on the one hand of an independent state in the southern part, and on the other hand the integration of the rest of the Territory as part of Morocco, with its sovereignty over it internationally recognized.”
Though both sides reject any plan of partition he said, if no progress if made, the UN should reconsider his role as envoy.
The long running feud dates back to 1975, with Rabat pushing for integration into Morocco while the Algerian backed Polisario Front supports full Western Saharan independence.
In 2020 the UN-sponsored ceasefire that had lasted since 1991 broke down, leading to the continuation of the armed conflict, though at low intensity.
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While the war drags on, a bitter stalemate on the ground, Morocco’s own territorial proposal has begun to gain international traction.
Persistent in its calls for a political solution to the struggle, the UN has called Morocco’s plan for annexing but relinquishing some autonomy to the region “serious and credible”.
Further support for Rabat’s plan was shown by France in July, with nation officially recognising Moroccan sovereignty over the territory, joining the US and Israel.
However US approval, which came in 2020, had caveat of normalising relations with Israel, a move controversial in the Arab world.
Algeria, who backs the Polisario Front, reacted to the French endorsement in July by blocking deportations from France – not the first time it has opted for such measures in the fractious relationship.
Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf reacted to Macron’s letter to King Mohammed VI containing the affirmation by stating that “the French decision will not change anything” regarding
Other nations that have voiced support include Spain, Finland and several Arab and African countries.
MiddleEastMonitor, Levantis.me and Agencies
