Security Council Vote Upholds Autonomy Initiative as Sole Framework for Settling Dispute Over Moroccan Sahara – Bahraini Expert

Manama – The vote held on Friday at the UN Security Council on the Moroccan Sahara issue confirms that the international community has made its choice and that the Moroccan autonomy initiative has now become the sole international framework for ending a dispute that has persisted for half a century, said Bahraini civil society actor engaged in sustainable development, Jamal Ahmed Yaqoub Kamal.

In a statement to MAP, Kamal stressed that the support of eleven Security Council members, including the Kingdom of Bahrain, for the US draft resolution establishes, in his view, the autonomy initiative under Moroccan sovereignty as the sole serious basis for negotiations aimed at settling this dispute.

He said the vote highlights the need to adopt a new approach that takes into account the transformations taking place in Morocco’s Southern Provinces and the scale of investment being made there. He noted that the autonomy initiative under Moroccan sovereignty represents a genuine development project even before being a political solution.

The Bahraini civil society actor also praised the Kingdom of Bahrain’s consistent position in support of the Moroccanness of the Sahara, the Kingdom’s sovereignty and its territorial integrity.

He further welcomed Bahrain’s favorable vote on the US draft resolution supporting the Moroccan autonomy initiative, saying that this position is in line with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2797.