The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres referred to a letter from France’s President Emmanuel Macron to King Mohammed VI supporting Morocco’s autonomy plan as the sole solution to the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara in his latest report to the Security Council, Morocco’s news Agency (MAP) reported.
France, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, is a key player in shaping the dynamics of the conflict. The development has the potential to facilitate progress within the Council, which has already acknowledged the Moroccan autonomy initiative favorably in its resolutions since 2007, describing it as “serious and credible”, MAP reported.
The new French position is also expected to support the efforts of the United Nations Secretary-General and his personal envoy, Staffan de Mistura, to resume the political process under the exclusive aegis of the UN.
Morocco’s proposal to the United Nations received support from approximately 110 member states, including two permanent members of the Security Council, 19 European Union members, and several countries from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Arab world, as well as regional and sub-regional organizations.
The United Nations Secretary-General’s report to the Security Council noted that Morocco, led by King Mohammed VI, will intensify its diplomatic efforts to garner broad support for its plan.