Morocco's ambassador to Dakar places the Sahara under Chapter VI of the UN Charter
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Senego
Morocco's ambassador to Dakar, Hassan Naciri, reaffirmed that the settlement of the Sahara conflict falls under Chapter VI of the UN Charter, on the peaceful settlement of disputes, and not Chapter VII. He defended the bay'a, the allegiance of the Sahara's populations to the Moroccan sovereign, as the historical and religious foundation of Morocco's position. The statement was made at a meeting in Dakar marking the 50th anniversary of the Green March, according to Senego.
Morocco's ambassador to Senegal, Hassan Naciri, said the settlement of the Sahara issue falls under Chapter VI of the United Nations Charter, devoted to the peaceful settlement of disputes, and not Chapter VII, which authorises the use of force. The diplomat was speaking in response to academic Abdou Latif Aïdara at a meeting held on Friday in Dakar for the 50th anniversary of the Green March, according to Senegalese media outlet Senego.
"We are not in Chapter 7. We are in Chapter 6, which calls for compromise solutions to be found," Hassan Naciri said, citing UN General Assembly resolutions 1514, 1541 and 2625. He believes no solution should lead to the disintegration of a state.
The ambassador also placed the bay'a, the oath of allegiance to the Moroccan sovereign, at the heart of Rabat's position. "For us, the bay'a is sovereignty, it is acceptance of or submission to the central power. It is a pact between the ruler and the ruled," he explained, adding that the 1975 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice confirms this historical link, in his view.
Hassan Naciri recalled that Morocco had accepted in 1991, under the reign of Hassan II, the principle of a referendum, which he said had become inapplicable for lack of a precisely defined electorate. He therefore defended the Moroccan autonomy proposal.
This meeting extends Morocco's positions in Dakar: Hassan Naciri had already defended Morocco's position on the Sahara in the Senegalese capital, where academic Abdou Latif Aïdara, for his part, argued for autonomy, as during these exchanges in Dakar.
