Gabon reaffirmed its support for the Moroccan autonomy plan to achieve a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution to the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara.
Following the United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) vote on resolution 2703 which extends the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in the Sahara’s (MINURSO) mandate for another year, Gabon’s Ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Michel Xavier Biang, stated that “Gabon’s vote reflects its support for the Moroccan autonomy Plan, which offers credible and reassuring prospects not only for ending the current impasse but also for achieving a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution.”
The Gabonese diplomat added that his country’s favorable vote testifies to its support for the political process aimed at achieving a pragmatic, realistic, practical, and compromising political solution, noting that Resolution 2703 supports the efforts of the United Nations Secretary-General’s (UNSC) Personal Envoy for the Moroccan Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, to relaunch the political process.
“This diplomatic impetus from the Personal Envoy must be capitalized on through the resumption of the round table process with the participation of all relevant parties,” stressed Ambassador Biang.
The Gabonese ambassador also stated that “the Kingdom of Morocco must maintain its commitment to the ceasefire and strengthen its cooperation with MINURSO,” calling on “all other parties to follow suit to promote security and stability in the region”.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) decided on October 30 to extend the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in the Sahara (MINURSO) for another year, thus confirming the pre-eminence of the Moroccan Autonomy Plan in resolving the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara.
In this new resolution, the executive body of the United Nations (UN) reiterated its support for the Moroccan Autonomy Plan as a serious and credible basis for resolving the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara, as enshrined in Security Council (SC) resolutions.
