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Rabat – Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya said his country defended the “central role” of the United Nations in addressing the Western Sahara issue.
The Spanish diplomat made his remarks in an interview with the Spanish newspaper El Periodico. He likened the UN’s role in Western Sahara to its role with Israel and Palestine and the Libyan conflict in the sense that the UN leads the conflict resolution process and Spain supports the UN Secretary General in these efforts.
Following the developments in Guerguerat, Gonzalez Laya said that Spain maintains dialogue with all forces and parties involved in the Western Sahara conflict, including Morocco, Algeria and Mauritania, as well as member countries of the United Nations Security Council.
On November 13, Morocco’s royal armed forces lifted a three-week blockade by Polisario militias in the Guerguerat buffer zone with a “non-offensive” operation. The illegal act of the separatist group had prevented goods and people from crossing the Moroccan-Mauritanian border.
Countries of all continents have stressed the importance of maintaining the cross-border flow of civil and commercial traffic.
Mauritanian newspaper Al Wiam labeled Morocco’s operation as humanitarian in nature, following a significant increase in the prices of some goods in local markets.
King Mohammed VI made the decision to act in Guerguerat after the United Nations failed to secure the situation. Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the Security Council have repeatedly called on Polisario to cease its violations and leave the region, but these appeals have not yielded results.
Gonzalez Laya urged dialogue in the light of the events in Guerguerat, stressing the need to appoint a new personal envoy for Western Sahara for the UN secretary general. The position has been vacant for 18 months, he stressed.
His call for dialogue also adds to Spain’s longstanding support for the UN-led process for Western Sahara.
On November 19, the Spanish diplomat stressed that Spain’s position regarding Western Sahara is very clear and remains unchanged, adding that the European country supports the efforts of the United Nations to “ensure the maintenance of the ceasefire” and move forward “. a political negotiation “.
He added that Spain’s position is one of “full support” for the UN-led political process.
In recent years, the international community has increasingly welcomed Morocco’s proposal for a pragmatic and compromise solution to the dispute.
At the United Nations Security Council on October 30, the United States expressed support for the UN-led political process in Western Sahara and urged the warring parties to resume negotiations “in good faith”.
Many observers see Morocco’s Autonomy Plan presented in 2007 as the most viable route to a lasting solution to the Western Sahara dispute.
Read also: Guerguerat: the French jurist outlines the legality of Morocco’s action
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