King Mohammed VI calls on Algeria to cooperate in forming ‘new Maghreb order that transcends insularity, pointless disputes’.
Middle East Online
‘It is high time each party shouldered its responsibilities
RABAT – In a speech he delivered to the Moroccan people on the occasion of the 36th anniversary of the Green March, King Mohammed VI called on Algeria to cooperate in forming “a new Maghreb order that transcends insularity and pointless disputes, and paves the way for dialogue, consultation, solidarity and the pursuit of development”.
The king noted that such cooperation between the two countries will guarantee stability and security in the Sahel and Sahara region.
“Morocco reiterates its readiness to combine efforts at the bilateral level – especially with the sister nation Algeria, in the framework of the current dynamic process – as well as at the regional level to fulfill the aspirations of current and future generations”, Moroccan King said.
King Mohammed VI also expressed his hopes that the new order that includes the five Maghreb countries will constitute a “driving force of Arab unity as well as a key player in the promotion of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation, stability and security in the Sahel and Sahara region, as well as African integration”.
The king’s speech came to mark the 36th anniversary of the green march, a strategic mass demonstration in November 1975, coordinated by the Moroccan government, to force Spain to hand over the disputed, autonomous semi-metropolitan Spanish Province of Sahara to Morocco.
As a result of Algeria’s continued support for the Polisario Front in the dispute over Western Sahara, relations between Morocco and Algeria have remained strained over the past several decades.
The Moroccan King reiterated, in his speech, his country’s commitment to “the full implementation of the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council so as to achieve a final, negotiated political solution to this artificial regional dispute, within the framework of the Kingdom’s national unity and territorial integrity”.
“We are just as determined to safeguard the nation’s sovereignty as we are to continue cooperating with the United Nations Organization and the parties concerned, in order to pursue negotiations and to build on the innovative approaches proposed by the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, as well as on our Autonomy Initiative”, the king added.
He also said, “It is high time each party shouldered its responsibilities. Rather than perpetuating deadlock, divisions and separatism, some bold, inclusive, future-oriented decisions should be made”.
Speaking of the future of the Western Sahara, the king said, “Moroccan Sahara will provide a model framework for broad regionalization to be achieved through, for example, the democratic election of regional institutions, the devolution of extensive powers and resources from central government to the regions, and the establishment of mechanisms conducive to regional and nation-wide solidarity, social improvement and human development”.
In reaction to the current changes the Arab region is witnessing, King Mohammed VI said, “We also have to make the most of the new opportunities brought about by the profound changes in the Arab region and the Maghreb”.
“Morocco was one of the first countries to sympathize with the legitimate aspirations for democracy expressed by the peoples concerned. My country has shown solidarity with them and has also keenly sought to ensure their stability, national unity and territorial integrity are safeguarded”, he added.
The Moroccan King also condemned the repression and humiliation that the Western Sahara refugees are suffering in the Tindouf camps in South West Algeria. The camps are controlled by Algerian authorities and the Polisario Front.
“Our fellow citizens who live in an isolated, sealed-off area in the Tindouf camps, are still being subjected to the worst forms of deprivation, repression and humiliation, in outright denial of human dignity and their basic, legitimate rights”, the king said.
“Once again, we condemn this humiliating situation as well as the disgraceful schemes of the enemies of our territorial integrity, who have been unashamedly ignoring the calls of the international community, including those of the Security Council and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, so that the latter may carry out a census that would safeguard the basic rights of our brothers in the Tindouf camps, and provide the legal protection to which they are entitled”, the king added.
According to the Polisario Front, the number of refugees in Tindouf camps has reached about 160 thousand people. These refugees are considered by Rabat as Moroccan citizens.
Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania’s withdrawal.
In 1976, the Polisario Front formally proclaimed the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and set up a government in exile, initiating a guerrilla war between the Polisario, backed by Algeria, and Morocco, which continued until a 1991 cease-fire.
Morocco is against the separation of the Western Sahara, but supports self-rule under Moroccan sovereinty.
