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Mohamed El Ghali says UN vote strengthens Sahara autonomy plan

By , based on MAP

Mohamed El Ghali says UN vote strengthens Sahara autonomy planAbhi018 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Moroccan political scientist Mohamed El Ghali says the UN Security Council vote strengthens Morocco’s autonomy plan as a framework for resolving the Sahara dispute. He notes that 11 members supported the US draft resolution, while three abstained and Russia voted against, according to MAP.

Moroccan political scientist Mohamed El Ghali said the UN Security Council’s vote on a US draft resolution strengthens Morocco’s proposed autonomy plan for the Sahara. The text received 11 votes in favour, while three members abstained and Russia voted against, he told the MAP news agency.

Mohamed El Ghali regards the result as a gain for Moroccan diplomacy and says the autonomy plan should become the exclusive political framework for a settlement. He says Resolution 2797 recognises the initiative as a realistic political solution, while a referendum cannot be implemented on the ground.

The remarks come after Russia vetoed the US resolution on the Sahara. According to Rabat, the mandate of MINURSO, the UN mission in the Sahara, also ended on 30 October.

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Sahara negotiations

Guterres and the UN place self-determination at the center of negotiations on the Sahara, while several countries support Morocco’s autonomy plan.

The latest developments

Earlier in this story

  1. 31 OctUN does not renew MINURSO mandate in the Sahara
  2. 31 OctParis and London seek compromise to extend MINURSO in the Sahara
  3. 31 OctUK, Bahrain and Liberia back Moroccan autonomy for the Sahara
  4. 31 OctMoroccan government links Unity Day to momentum around the Sahara
  5. 31 OctAlgiers criticises non-renewal of MINURSO mandate in the Sahara
The whole story: 49 articles →

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