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On Wednesday, King Mohammed VI addressed the nation on the 49th anniversary of the Green March, noting that the event «enabled us to recover the Moroccan Sahara; it also strengthened the bond between that region’s inhabitants and their motherland».
Since then, «Morocco has been able to establish tangible facts on the ground as well as an irreversible reality rooted in law, legitimacy, commitment and responsibility», he added. This reality is reflected in «the strong attachment of our sons and daughters in the Sahara to their Moroccan identity, and their commitment to the nation’s sacred, immutable values, in keeping with the bond of the Bei’a , which has existed throughout history between the inhabitants of the Sahara and the kings of Morocco».
It’s further demonstrated by «the progress, security and stability existing in the Moroccan Sahara», along with «growing international recognition of the Sahara as a Moroccan territory, and the broad support the Autonomy Initiative has been receiving», he said.
«Parallel to this natural, legitimate situation, there is, sadly, another world clearly disconnected from reality – a world still feeding on the illusions of the past and clinging to outdated theories and claims», King Mohammed VI stated.
He criticized those who «demand a referendum, despite that option being discarded by the United Nations and the impossibility of implementing it; at the same time, the proponents of that position refuse to allow a census of the people detained in the Tindouf camps, using them as hostages, keeping them in deplorable, humiliating conditions, and depriving them of the most basic rights».
«And there are those who exploit the Sahara issue so as to secure access to the Atlantic Ocean», he continued. «To them I say this: We do not refuse such as a prospect. As everyone knows, Morocco has proposed an international initiative to facilitate the Sahel countries’ access to the Atlantic Ocean, within the framework of partnership and cooperation. The aim being to achieve shared progress for the benefit of all peoples in the region».
«And there are those who exploit the Sahara issue to deflect attention from their many internal problems», King Mohammed VI added, «still others seek to manipulate certain legal aspects to serve narrow political goals. To them as well, I say this: Morocco’s partnerships and legal obligations will never be at the expense of its territorial integrity or its national sovereignty».
King Mohammed VI called on the United Nations to «assume its responsibility and spell out the major difference between the real, legitimate world - represented by Morocco in its Sahara - and a world which is frozen in time, and which is disconnected from reality and the developments that have taken place».
The King concluded by emphasizing that «the evolution of the question of our territorial integrity, we need to keep up the concerted efforts of us all», and he praised «the sense of patriotism shown by our Moroccan community abroad, and its commitment to defending the nation’s sacred, incontrovertible values, as well as its contribution to our country’s development».
