The Gambia reaffirmed its firm support for the Moroccan Autonomy Plan in the Sahara, as well as for the Kingdom’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Gambia’s representative expressed, before the members of the Fourth Committee of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), her country’s “firm support for the Moroccan Autonomy Plan”.
The Gambian diplomat stressed that the Autonomy Plan, which complies with international law and has been described as serious and credible in successive Security Council (SC) resolutions since 2007, is a “serious compromise and a viable” and lasting solution to the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara.
Highlighting the “massive” international support for the Autonomy Plan, the Gambian diplomat noted that the plan presented by Morocco in 2007 “credibly takes into account the subject of self-determination”.
The Gambian diplomat also pointed out that any discussion of the Sahara issue must take into consideration Morocco’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, praising the Kingdom’s “cooperative approach” with all stakeholders in resolving this artificial regional conflict.
Gambia’s representative called for the resumption of the round table process with all parties concerned, in line with Security Council (SC) resolution 2654, in a spirit of positive commitment to achieving a pragmatic, lasting, realistic, and compromising political solution.
The Gambian diplomat also praised the participation of representatives from the Moroccan Sahara in previous roundtables in Geneva, as well as in the annual sessions of the United Nations Committee of 24 (C24).
The Gambian representative further commended the efforts of the United Nations Secretary-General (UNSG) and his Personal Envoy, Staffan de Mistura, to relaunch the political process, including his recent visits to Morocco, Algeria, and Mauritania.
Gambia’s representative also highlighted the transformational development trajectory currently underway in the Sahara regions, the fruit of large-scale investments undertaken by Morocco through the New Development Model for the Southern provinces launched in 2015.
“This Model is transforming the region into a hub of development and attractive economic opportunities and has great potential to contribute to lasting peace”, concluded the Gambian diplomat.
