Sahara: Laying cards on the table
Morocco no longer accepts ambiguous positions. This is one of the main messages of the royal address, delivered on the occasion of the 69th anniversary of the Revolution of the King and the people. After the great breakthroughs achieved at the regional and international levels, favorable to the just and legitimate position of the Kingdom, Rabat requires its partners, traditional or new, to lay their cards on the table
. HM the King could not have been clearer: for these countries, “whose positions on the question of the Sahara are ambiguous” , Morocco is waiting “for them to clarify and review the substance of their position, in a way that is not ambiguous”. Among the traditional partners of Morocco, France for example still seems to hesitate on the position to take concerning this question. The French leaders prefer a still ambiguous position, to avoid offending Algeria. President Emmanuel Macron is expected this week in Algeria. The ambition of the French president is in particular to “turn the page on a series of misunderstandings and tensions” , say the sources.
■ Prism: Today, Paris, like other partners of Morocco, must change its positions with regard to the question of the territorial integrity of the Kingdom. On this point, the Sovereign sent a “clear message to everyone: the Sahara issue is the prism through which Morocco considers its international environment. It is also clearly and simply the yardstick that measures the sincerity of the friendships and of the effectiveness of the partnerships that (Morocco) establishes”. This new phase in the management of Morocco’s diplomatic relations comes after many influential countries have shown their receptivity and support for the autonomy initiative. This is considered to be the only possible way to settle this regional and artificial conflict. This hardening of the Moroccan position follows the absence of a positive reaction from Algeria, to which the Sovereign has extended his hand on several occasions. The eastern neighbor continues to make Morocco its favorite external enemy, to divert attention from the internal risks of implosion.
■ Momentum : Whatever the case may be, the momentum set in motion by Morocco in the Southern provinces seems irreversible. Especially with the broad international support for the Moroccan proposal, in the face of the immobility of the other parties. This is demonstrated in particular by the position of the United States which, notwithstanding the change of Administration or the evolution of the economic situation, has remained constant. Ditto for Spain, which has opted for a clear and responsible position. In Europe, only France and a few other countries still seem to hesitate. In contrast, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Serbia, Hungary, Cyprus, Romania, and other countries seem to adopt a constructive approach vis-à-vis the autonomy initiative. Ditto for a large part of the Arab and African countries, which have clearly shown their support for the Moroccanness of the Sahara. Today, about forty per cent of African States, belonging to five regional groupings, have opened consulates in the cities of Laayoune and Dakhla.
■ Internal front : In addition to diplomatic breakthroughs, HM the King also insisted on the importance of the unity of the internal front to “counteract the maneuvers of the enemies” . Internal mobilization is “ the base on which any strategy for the defense of the Moroccanness of the Sahara must rest”.
