The webinar, which was moderated by the president of the Alter Forum International des Études Sahariennes, Bachir Edkhil, brought together prominent Mexican and Spanish personalities to review the prospects of the Moroccan Sahara issue in Latin America, in light of the new position of Spain, supporting the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative as the most realistic, credible, and serious basis for this regional dispute.
The professor of international law at the prestigious National Autonomous University of Mexico, Juan de Dios Gutiérrez Baylón, stressed that “Spain’s new position goes within the framework of the UN and international legality,” in that it “takes up the exact terms of all the Security Council resolutions since the presentation of the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative.”
Baylón supported his analysis by noting that “the UN reference on the issue of the Moroccan Sahara is based on the three elements that are the process of round tables (with the participation of Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, and the “polisario”), the finality of this process, namely a realistic, pragmatic, sustainable, and compromise-based political solution, and the pre-eminence of the Autonomy Initiative, described as serious and credible in all the resolutions of the Security Council.”
For Baylón, the position of Spain is also consistent with international law because “autonomy is the only solution to ensure the right to self-determination of the Sahara population,” noting that the population of the region demonstrates its attachment to its Moroccanness on a daily basis.
The Mexican lawyer recalled that the recorded rate of participation in the Sahara regions in the legislative, regional and communal elections of September 8, 2021, was the highest among all Moroccan regions.
Baylón concluded that the new Spanish position is a model to follow for Latin American countries, especially those that continue to recognize the pseudo “sadr”.
According to him, “Latin America must join the historical dynamic in favor of the Autonomy Initiative and cannot remain on the sidelines of history by remaining frozen in dogmatic concepts dating from the Cold War.”
Recalling that more than 70% of the countries that recognized the pseudo “sadr” in the 1980s have withdrawn their recognition, Baylón said that the continued recognition of the pseudo “sadr” by Mexico is a “historical aberration that must be corrected.”
For his part, the expert in international development, Pedro Díaz de la Vega, considered that the growing international support for the Autonomy Initiative reflects the positioning of the region as an economic hub on a continental scale thanks to the projects implemented under the New Development Model of the Southern Provinces.
Thus, de la Vega recalled that “Morocco’s immeasurable efforts have enabled the Moroccan Sahara to become a region of stability, prosperity and future for the development of the entire African continent.”
According to the Mexican expert, the dynamics of development in the region, the opening of Consulates General in the Moroccan Sahara, now numbering twenty-five, and the U.S. decision of December 10, 2020 to recognize the Moroccan Sahara “converge to create the reality of the inevitability of the Moroccan Sahara and the Autonomy Initiative as the only point of arrival to the UN political process on the issue of the Moroccan Sahara.
The Mexican expert concluded that “Mexico is called to act accordingly and take into account the legitimate rights of Morocco, the reality on the ground, the geopolitical situation of its immediate space and the real will of the population in the Sahara.”
According to de la Vega, these factors should motivate Mexico to join the virtuous dynamic of the evolution of the file through a clear and frank support to the autonomy initiative.
For his part, the president of the Association of Moroccan Jews in Mexico, Moises Amselem El Baz, said that the growing support for the Autonomy Initiative reflects the positioning of Morocco as “a reliable interlocutor” in the preservation of peace and security in its regional environment.
Recalling the role of Morocco, under the High Vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, in crucial issues such as the promotion of inter-religious dialogue and the fight against hate speech, El Baz stressed that “Morocco has a constructive vision for the future of its region. It builds bridges and promotes stability in the Mediterranean area, the Arab world and Africa.”
El Baz, in this regard, recalled the historical importance of the resumption of relations between Morocco and Israel, stressing that “the approach is marked by wisdom and consistency,” noting that Algeria, which declares itself committed to the principle of state sovereignty, has spared no invective against Morocco following this event.
“The hostility of Algeria towards the resumption of Morocco-Israel relations comes at a time when it has not ceased to encourage the interference of Iran and Hezbollah in the region, thus fuelling instability and division in North and West Africa,” he said.
According to him, “Mexico is called to make the necessary distinction between those who work for peace, prosperity and development of the transatlantic space, and those who are working to install division, rancor and instability.”
He concluded by stressing that “this distinction requires to withdraw any form of recognition of the emanation of Algeria that is the so-called ‘sadr’ and to join the international dynamic of support for the Autonomy Initiative.
This videoconference organized from Mexico City, is part of a series of events initiated by the Coalition for Sahara Autonomy to promote the prospects of the Autonomy Initiative in Latin America, as part of an open and dispassionate debate on the issue of the Moroccan Sahara.
Source: Agency Morocaine De Presse