Morocco reiterates stance on Sahara during UN envoy visit

The UN Secretary-General's personal envoy for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, arrived in Morocco on Thursday, April 4. In Rabat, he held talks with Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and the Kingdom's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Omar Hilale.

As in previous meetings with De Mistura, the Moroccan delegation reiterated «the constants of Morocco's position, reaffirmed by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, namely: No process outside the round-table framework defined by the UN, with the full participation of Algeria; no solution outside the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative; no serious process, at a time when the ceasefire is being violated daily by polisario militias», the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Staffan de Mistura visited Mauritania on Monday and Tuesday. In Nouakchott, he met with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense, as well as with President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani.

On April 16, the UN envoy will brief Security Council members on developments in the Sahara issue since the adoption of Resolution 2703 at the end of October.