Algiers 2 August 2024 (SPS) – The Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs and the National Community Abroad, Ahmed Attaf, said Wednesday that France’s recognition of the so-called Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara is “giving away what is not theirs to those without merit.”
There is a simple expression to describe the legal value of France’s recognition of Morocco’s so-called sovereignty over Western Sahara, which is “giving away what is not theirs to those without merit,” Attaf said during a press conference at the ministry’s headquarters.
“Considering Morocco’s autonomy plan as the only solution to the Western Sahara issue undermines all efforts aimed at finding an alternative solution to this issue, in line with international resolutions, notably those of the Security Council which France helped develop and adopt,” he added.
“The French president’s message to Morocco’s king shows that France fully subscribes to the Moroccan position regarding the issue of Western Sahara and makes it a priority that it is committed to defending at the national and international levels, as if the Moroccan plan regarding Western Sahara had become a French plan,” he said.
Regarding the repercussions of the French stance on Western Sahara and regional peace and security, Attaf said that “while Paris claims this decision aims to revive the political process of settling the Western Sahara conflict, it actually serves to cement the political deadlock that has persisted for nearly two decades.”
“This deadlock stems directly from Morocco’s 2007 +autonomy plan+, which aims to put an end to the Sahrawi peoples’ internationally recognized right to self-determination. It does so by undermining efforts to hold a referendum in this territory, nipping in the bud alternative political solutions and thwarting any genuine and serious initiatives to resolve this conflict, in addition to what Morocco wants–to legitimize the colonial fact in Western Sahara,” the minister underscored.
It also aims to “buy time to consolidate the colonial fait accompli and impose it on the international community, by leading it to adapt to it and accept it, all while watching window after window of opportunity slam shut,” he added.
“France’s unwavering backing of the Moroccan autonomy plan is a maneuver to breathe new life into it, thereby continuing to hinder efforts to settle the political settlement of the Western Sahara issue and to cement the colonial fact imposed on the Sahrawi people,” Attaf explained.
“How could this autonomy proposal last more than 17 years without ever being subject to discussion?” he questioned.
The fact that this proposal has never been put forward to negotiations all this time indicates that “it has never been taken seriously as a framework for resolving the conflict in Western Sahara,” Attaf said, pointing out that "none of the four international envoys who have succeeded each other over the past two decades has shown any interest in it.”
“The French decision endorses the colonial reality imposed on the Sahrawi people, contrary to recent diplomatic efforts by the UN and various influential international actors to restart the political process and put an end to the conflict in Western Sahara," the minister of Foreign Affairs said.
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