New York- Morocco on Tuesday “warmly welcomed” the UNSC Resolution 2218 extending for one year the MINURSO mandate, Morocco’s Ambassador to the UN, Omar Hilale said on Tuesday at the Security Council stakeout.
In a briefing to the press after the vote, the ambassador also expressed “our gratitude to the group of friends” (USA, France, Russia, Spain and the UK) for “their efforts to preserve the integrity of the resolution,” which has contributed to its adoption in a “serene and calm atmosphere, paving the way for the resumption of the political process.”
Resolution 2218 was adopted unanimously by the 15 member states (China, USA, France, United Kingdom, Russia, Angola, Chad, Chile, Jordan, Lithuania, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Spain and Venezuela).
Answering questions of the journalists on whether the African Union could play a role in the settlement of the conflict, the Moroccan envoy said that they have no “legitimacy” to play that role.
The notoriously partial stances by the African Union (AU) in favor of Algeria and its creation “the Polisario” strip it from any credibility or legitimacy to assume any role concerning the Moroccan Sahara issue (known as Western Sahara), said, on Tuesday in New York, Morocco’s ambassador to the UN Omar Hilale.
“The AU has a real obsession over the human rights issue in the Moroccan Sahara but its partial stances strip it from any credibility, legitimacy or contribution,” Hilale said at a press conference after the adoption of UNSC resolution 2218 on the Sahara.
The Moroccan diplomat affirmed that the decision by the UNSC on MINURSO mission to keep it unchanged was “sovereign”.
He added that influential powers at the Council insist that the UN remains a legitimate entity to manage this issue and that the UN process be maintained and protected.
In its resolution 2218 adopted unanimously by its 15 member states, the UNSC recognized and commended the measures and initiatives taken by Morocco to reinforce the CNDH regional committees in Dakhla and Laayoune.
Answering a question on the issue of the alleged epolitation resources in the territory by the Moroccan government, the Moroccan diplomat said that Moroccan has invested billions to turn the southern provinces into full-fledged cities.
Morocco has invested billions of dollars in the development of its southern provinces (in the co-called Western Sahara), as highlighted in the latest report of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Morocco’s Ambassador to the UN Omar Hilale said Tuesday.
“Tiny villages, Dakhla and Laayoune are today large cities with modern infrastructure,” a fact also noted by the same report, Hilale said at a press briefing following the unanimous adoption of Resolution 2218 extending for one year the MINURSO mandate.
In the report, Ban Ki-moon noted in particular that the Moroccan Sahara continues to benefit from “substantial public investment,” especially in terms of road and port infrastructure.
“When Morocco recovered its southern provinces, there were only two small villages, Laayoune and Dakhla. There was no electricity, no water, no schools, let alone hospitals, and a little population because they are nomads”, the diplomat said in response to a question on the exploitation of natural resources.
“Today, the Sahara is made up of large cities, many ports and industries, and Dakhla is a must-see international tourist destination,” he told the international press.
Morocco has invested “several billion dollars in the southern provinces over the last 40 years”, he added.
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