Moroccan Delegation Advocates for Morocco's Territorial Integrity in Venezuela

In a pivotal diplomatic endeavor, a distinguished Moroccan delegation, led by Ambassador Omar Hilale, the Permanent Representative of Morocco to the United Nations, is partaking in the C24 Regional Seminar for the Caribbean, held in Caracas, Venezuela, from May 14th to 16th.

Accompanying Ambassador Hilale is Mr. Redouane Houssaini, Director of United Nations and International Organizations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates.

This seminar presents a valuable opportunity for the Moroccan delegation to apprise the Committee members and other participants of the latest developments concerning the Moroccan Sahara issue. Notably, they will highlight the resounding international support for the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative, endorsed by over 107 member states. Additionally, they will underscore the opening of around 30 consulates in Laayoune and Dakhla, further affirming Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara region. The delegation will also shed light on the unprecedented socio-economic and infrastructure development witnessed in the two Moroccan Sahara regions.

Moreover, the seminar will shed light on Algeria's role in creating and perpetuating the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara and its historical, political, and moral responsibility as the primary party to this conflict, as reaffirmed by the United Nations Security Council resolutions, including Resolution 2703, adopted on October 30, 2023.

These resolutions have solidified the credibility and seriousness of the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative as the sole and unique solution to the Moroccan Sahara issue. They have also reaffirmed that the roundtable discussions, with the same four participants and format, remain the exclusive framework for the UN-led process to reach a political, realistic, pragmatic, durable, and compromised solution to this dispute.

Notably, two elected representatives from the Moroccan Sahara regions, Ms. Ghalla Bahiya from the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab Region, and Mr. M'hamed Abba from the Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra Region, have been invited by the Committee's Chair to participate in this seminar, as has been the practice for several years.