MAP
Royal speech from Laayoune (Southern Morocco)
“Today, 40 years after the Green March, and regardless of the advantages and the downsides, we want to make a radical break with the manner in which Sahara issues have been dealt with so far: a break with the rentier economy and privileges, a break with poor private sector involvement and a break with the mentality of centralized administration”, the Sovereign stressed in a speech to the Nation on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Green March.
After years of sacrifice and political and development-oriented efforts, Morocco has reached maturity, HM the King underlined, adding that conditions are now ripe for the dawn of a new era in the process to consolidate national unity and achieve full integration of our southern provinces into the motherland.
The implementation of the Development Model for the Southern Provinces and the application of advanced regionalization are part of that process, the Monarch pointed out.
“I am keen to make sure we provide our fellow citizens in the southern provinces with all the necessary means to enable them to manage their own affairs and show they are capable of developing their region”, the Sovereign said, recalling that the kingdom has made sure the inhabitants of those provinces enjoy a free and dignified life.
“From time immemorial, the Saharan populations have been known as scholars and seasoned tradespeople. They have always earned their living by the sweat of their brow and lived with dignity and pride. They do not expect assistance from anyone, despite their harsh living conditions”, HM the King said, stressing “I am talking about the true Sahrawis, the genuine patriots who have remained committed to the bond of allegiance which has always existed between their forefathers and Moroccan monarchs”.
However, the Monarch affirmed that as “for the few people who are get carried away by the views of our enemies and who champion them, there is no place for them among us. However, the homeland is most forgiving and magnanimous towards those who come to their senses and repent”.
HM the King: Morocco Pledges to Make Moroccan Sahara Hub for Communication, Exchange With Sub-Saharan African Countries
Morocco pledges to make the Moroccan Sahara a hub for communication and exchange with sub-Saharan African countries and to build the infrastructure needed to that end, HM King Mohammed VI underlined.
The kingdom “will honor its commitment, whether its enemies like it or not”, the Sovereign insisted in a speech to the Nation on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Green March.
“When Morocco promises something, it delivers in both word and deed. Our country makes no commitment it cannot honor”, HM the King said, adding that “we wish to send out a message to the world: Unlike others, we, in Morocco, use no empty slogans nor do we sell illusions. When we commit to something, we honor our commitment, and we implement things on the ground”.
In this respect, the Monarch recalled that advanced regionalization, which Morocco promised to implement, “is a reality on the ground, with its institutions and its prerogatives”.
“Morocco promised democracy and pledged to enable the inhabitants of its southern provinces to run their local affairs”, the Sovereign noted, pointing out that these populations “have now chosen their representatives and are freely and responsibly involved in local institutions”.
HM the King also stressed that the kingdom has kept its promises related to the peace and security, noting that the “Moroccan Sahara is the safest area in the Sahel and Sahara region”.
“The implementation of the Development Model for the Southern Provinces shows how committed we are to fulfilling our obligations towards our fellow citizens in these provinces, which will thus become a model of integrated development”, the Monarch underlined, adding that this Development Model aims to “seal these provinces’ integration into the unified homeland and to enhance the influence of the Sahara region as an economic hub and a crucial link between Morocco and its African roots”.
“I have therefore decided to muster all the means available, by the grace of the Almighty, to implement a number of major projects as well as social, medical and educational programs in the regions of Laayoune-Saqia el-Hamra, Dakhla-Oued Eddahab and Guelmim-Oued Noon”, said the Sovereign.
Infrastructure, on its own, cannot improve the citizens’ living conditions, HM the King stressed, adding that: “I am therefore keen to press ahead with economic development and to support that process with human development projects”.
In this respect, the Monarch announced that an economic development fund will be set up to expand the economic fabric, support businesses and the social economy, generate steady income and create jobs, particularly for young people.
“To me, what matters most is to make sure the dignity of our fellow citizens in the Sahara is safeguarded – particularly that of younger generations – and to strengthen their love for their country and their attachment to their homeland”, the Sovereign went on.
HM the King Calls on Government to Revisit Social Welfare System
HM King Mohammed VI on Friday called on the government to revisit the social welfare system to make it more transparent and equitable and make sure the dignity of our fellow citizens in the Sahara is “safeguarded – particularly that of younger generations – and to strengthen their love for their country and their attachment to their homeland”.
“I have asked the Government to revisit the social welfare system to make it more transparent and equitable, in keeping with the principles of equality and social justice which most segments of the populations concerned have been calling for”, said the Sovereign in a speech to the Nation on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Green March.
In this regard, the Monarch expressed determination to provide the southern regions with the necessary means to “enable them to manage their own affairs and show they are capable of developing their region”.
HM the King further underlined that as far as human rights are concerned, Morocco has managed to foil the schemes of its enemies through the nation’s mobilization, good security governance and constructive interaction with civil society organizations.
Noting that the cultural fields is no exception in the implementation of the development model in the southern provinces, considering the special place the Hassani culture has in the hearts and minds of Saharan people, HM the King recalled the efforts aimed at strengthening the mechanisms needed for the preservation and promotion of the Saharan heritage, particularly by building theaters, museums and cultural centers in the southern part of the country.
The Monarch underlined that Morocco also lived up to its promise to come up with a specific development model for its southern provinces and has, indeed, “launched large-scale, defining projects that will generate wealth and create jobs”.
HM the King: Program-Contracts to Be Concluded Between Central Government and Regions for Advanced Regionalization Implementation
To make sure the Southern Provinces are front and center of the implementation of advanced regionalization, a series of program-contracts will be concluded between the central government and the regions, HM King Mohammed VI announced.
“These program-contracts will determine each party’s obligations regarding the execution of development projects”, the Sovereign stressed in a speech to the Nation on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Green March.
In this respect, HM the King called on the government to speed up the adoption of legislative texts on devolution and support that with the transfer of qualified human resources and funds, with a view to replicating that experience in the Kingdom’s other regions.
The Monarch also called for speeding up the preparation of a real charter for administrative devolution that gives regional departments and agencies the prerogatives needed to run the region’s affairs at the local level.
The Sovereign further insisted on the need to ensure citizen participation through platforms and mechanisms for permanent dialogue and consultation so that the citizens may fully subscribe to programs and be involved in their implementation.
“I therefore expect the inhabitants of our southern provinces and their representatives to live up to their responsibilities, now that we have set in place the institutional and development-related mechanisms for them to manage their affairs and cater for their needs”, HM the King affirmed.
The legitimacy which was democratically conferred by the citizens upon the officials who were elected in the region makes them the true representatives of the inhabitants of the southern provinces vis-à-vis national institutions as well as the international community, the Monarch stressed, recalling that the implementation of advanced regionalization bolsters Morocco’s credibility and shows our country honors its commitments.
“When Morocco promises something, it delivers in both word and deed. Our country makes no commitment it cannot honor”, the Sovereign said, recalling that Morocco promised to implement advanced regionalization. Today, advanced regionalization is indeed a reality on the ground, with its institutions and its prerogatives
“Therefore, we wish to send out a message to the world: Unlike others, we, in Morocco, use no empty slogans nor do we sell illusions. When we commit to something, we honor our commitment, and we implement things on the ground”, HM the King stressed.
“By starting to implement advanced regionalization and adopting a development model, Morocco wishes to increase the chances of finding a lasting solution to the artificial dispute over our territorial integrity”, the Monarch underlined.
“Because it believes its cause is a just one, it reacted positively in 2007 to the call of the international community and came up with proposals to find a way out of the impasse”, the Sovereign recalled, adding in this respect that the kingdom has proposed the Autonomy Initiative for the Southern Provinces, which was judged by the international community as both serious and credible.
“As I pointed out last year in my address commemorating the anniversary of the Green March, the Initiative is the most Morocco can offer. Its implementation will hinge on achieving a final political settlement within the framework of the United Nations Organization”, HM the King pointed out.
“Those who are waiting for any other concession on Morocco’s part are deceiving themselves. Indeed, Morocco has given all there was to give. It has given of its sons’ blood to defend the Sahara”, the Monarch insisted.
In this regard, the Sovereign affirmed that “Morocco rejects any foolish, adventurous course of action that could have serious consequences, as well as any useless, unworkable proposal whose only aim is to undermine the positive momentum created by the Autonomy Initiative”.
Unlike Inhabitants of Southern Provinces, People in Tindouf Continue to Suffer From Poverty, Despair (Royal Speech)
HM King Mohammed VI underlined that while the people in Tindouf, in Algeria, continue to suffer from poverty and despair, Morocco is pressing ahead with the development of its southern provinces.
In a speech to the Nation on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Green March, the Sovereign affirmed that the development model of the southern provinces aims to “seal these provinces’ integration into the unified homeland and to enhance the influence of the Sahara region as an economic hub and a crucial link between Morocco and its African roots”.
“On the other hand, the people in Tindouf, in Algeria, continue to suffer from poverty, despair, deprivation and the systematic violation of their basic rights”, HM the King said.
The Monarch wondered: “Where have the millions of dollars of humanitarian aid gone – more than 60 million Euros a year – not to mention the billions of Euros spent on the separatists’ armament, propaganda and repression apparatus?”
How can one explain the fact that the separatists’ leaders are obscenely rich and have real estate and bank accounts in Europe and Latin America and why has not Algeria done anything to improve the living conditions of the Tindouf camp population, which is 40,000 at the very most – i.e. the equivalent of the population of a medium-sized neighborhood in Algiers?, the Sovereign wondered.
This means that for forty years Algeria could not – or did not want to – build 6,000 housing units to safeguard their dignity, that is an average of 150 housing units a year, HM the King pointed out.
Why does Algeria – which has spent billions on its military and diplomatic war against Morocco – let the Tindouf inhabitants live in such appalling, inhuman conditions? the Sovereign also wondered, noting that History is going to judge those who have turned the free, respectable sons and daughters of the Sahara into beggars of humanitarian aid and will bear witness to the fact that they have exploited the tragedy of a group of Saharan women and children, turning them into war booty and using them not only for illegal commercial exploitation, but also as a tool for diplomatic dispute.
The Monarch announced that the southern provinces will see large-scale infrastructure projects, as the road network in the region will be enhanced, and a dual carriageway complying with international standards will be built to link Tiznit, Laayoun and Dakhla.
In this respect, HM the King called on the Government to think about setting up hub airports in the Southern Provinces to serve African destinations, while examining the construction of a rail link between Tangier and Lagouira to connect Morocco with the rest of Africa.
The Sovereign announced plans to build the Great Dakhla Atlantic Port, implement major solar and wind energy projects in the south and connect Dakhla to the national electricity network.
The Monarch also said that an economic development fund will be set up to expand the economic fabric, support businesses and the social economy, generate steady income and create jobs, particularly for young people.
All these projects will be implemented to support the region’s economy and allow the inhabitants of southern regions to have the necessary means to enable them to manage their own affairs and show they are capable of developing their region, the Sovereign pointed out.
