Morocco's King Mohammed VI discussed with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres the Sahara issue on Wednesday.
King Mohammed received the UN chief at the royal palace in Rabat, said a statement from the royal court.
King Mohammed reiterated Morocco’s unwavering position in support of resolving the dispute through the autonomy plan initiative that would safeguard the kingdom’s territorial integrity.
The UN said Guterres and the monarch discussed “the situation in the region and, in particular, in Western Sahara” on the sidelines of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations held in the Moroccan city of Fez.
Guterres discussed issue in light of UN Security Council Resolution 2654, adopted on October 27. The resolution urges all the parties to cooperate fully with United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), whose mandate was extended one year until October 31, 2023.
The Security Council made the same call one year ago when new UN special envoy for the Western Sahara Staffan de Mistura took up his position. He has since traveled to the region several times to meet active parties.
King Mohammed reiterated Morocco’s support for the efforts of Guterres and de Mistura to oversee political stability in the region.
The King equally affirmed Morocco’s support for the UN body in the region MINURSO as an observer to the ceasefire.
Up to 60 countries expressed support to the Moroccan initiative including the US, European countries such as Spain, Germany, Belgium, Hungary, Luxembourg, and Romania, in addition to African countries, a diplomat revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat.
The source added that Algeria and the Polisario Front continue to challenge the UN by preventing the MINURSO from supplying its centers with water and fuel, in addition to violating the ceasefire and refusing to engaged in the political process.
