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Rabat – Panama and Suriname have reiterated support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, taking place in New York.
Panama’s Foreign Minister Javier Martinez-Acha Vasques reiterated his country’s position in a press briefing following discussions with his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita.
“Today we reiterated our support for the Autonomy Plan” to achieve a definitive resolution to the regional dispute, he said.
In November last year, Panama suspended diplomatic ties with the separatist Polisario Front’s self-proclaimed “republic” headquartered in the Tindouf camps in Algeria.
The country said that the decision aligns with its commitment to constructive foreign policy and support for UN-led efforts to achieve a peaceful and mutually acceptable resolution to the Sahara dispute.
The decision revived bilateral ties between the two countries and added Panama to a growing list of nations that see the Autonomy initiative as a serious, credible, and realistic basis to end the dispute.
This is in addition to countries that fully recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces in Western Sahara and those that view the autonomy plan as the only basis and framework to end the dispute.
Beyond the Sahara dispute, Panama’s FM also commended the ties between the two countries, describing bilateral relations and cooperation as “solid, close, and mutually beneficial” on several levels.
During the meeting, the Panamanian FM and his Moroccan counterpart also discussed cooperation on trade, security, education, and business development.
Suriname reiterated the same position on Monday, recalling its support for Morocco’s sovereignty over its entire territory.
It also reaffirms its support for the autonomy plan. Suriname’s FM Melvin Bouva conveyed his country’s support during his talks with Bourita in New York.
The meetings come as the UN Security Council is gearing up to vote on a new resolution that will extend the mandate of the peacekeeping operation MINURSO. The UNSC meets annually to extend the mandate as well as urge all parties to engage in the UN-led political process to contribute to finding a political solution to end the dispute.
However, the appeals fall short as Algeria continues to obstruct the political process by alleging that the dispute should be addressed by Morocco and Polisario, distancing itself from its role as a main party.
This latest development in the fast-deepening international support for Morocco’s stance comes as Staffan de Mistura, the UN envoy for the Sahara, has been touring the region to hold talks with the main parties to the dispute, including Algeria.
But the UN envoy held his talks with Moroccan officials in New York, since a high-level Moroccan delegation, including Bourita, is in the US to attend the UN General Assembly.
During the meeting with De Mistura, both Bourita and Morocco’s permanent ambassador to the UN, Omar Hilale, reiterated Rabat’s fundamentals and principles when it comes to the Sahara dossier. Any genuine Morocco’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is non-negotiable, they argued, stressing that the Autonomy Plan is the best route to genuine and lasting political resolution of the long-running dispute.
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