Summary : Summary: Meeting with the UN Special Representative for the Sahara: Morocco strongly criticises the Secretary-General’s latest report, which is considered dangerous and far removed from the UN’s established line of conduct. The report is accused of clearing Algeria’s name, of considering the Sahara as a non-autonomous territory, and of opening the way to risky options by recognising the cooperation of non-state entities. Morocco is also concerned about Minurso’s ambiguous relations with the Polisario and its lack of neutrality.
Subject: Moroccan Sahara Issue / Meeting with the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for the Sahara, Mr. Wolfgang Weisbrod-Weber.
I have the honor to inform you that I held a meeting today, at his request, with the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for the Sahara, Mr. Wolfgang Weisbrod-Weber (SRSG).
This meeting focused on the Secretary-General’s latest report on the Sahara issue, the activities of MINURSO, and the recent technical visit of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to Laayoune.
1. The Secretary-General’s Report:
Morocco was disappointed by the content and recommendations of this report, which are, moreover, dangerous for both Morocco and MINURSO.
The report lacks logic and any semblance of scientific demonstration. On the contrary, it deviates from the core issues and departs from the established UN policy, despite preliminary discussions that took place with the SRSG before its drafting, to avoid any surprises or missteps that could compromise Morocco’s relations with MINURSO.
The report is surreal as it creates a dangerous and unfounded precedent by drawing a parallel between the cooperation of a UN member state with the OHCHR and that of a non-state actor (the report welcomes the Polisario’s cooperation with the OHCHR, the establishment of the Sahrawi Human Rights Council, etc.).
The report exonerates Algeria from its responsibilities regarding its international obligations as a state directly concerned by the regional dispute over the Sahara (populations of Tindouf).
The report, submitted to the Security Council, considers for the first time that the Sahara is a non-self-governing territory, while the Council is seized of the Sahara issue as a regional dispute under Chapter VI of the UN Charter.
The report suggests that the exploitation of natural resources in the Sahara is contrary to Article 73 of the UN Charter.
The UN is innovating without any political or legal logic and is opening the door to dangerous voices by recognizing the possibility for non-recognized non-state entities, such as Al Qaeda, Al-Shabab, etc., to cooperate with the UN.
It accommodates Algeria on several counts, and the Polisario (no reference is made in the report to the two young Sahrawis shot by the Algerian army last January).
The report gives an ultimatum to Morocco to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the political process in 2015, while the innovative approach of shuttle diplomacy proposed by the UN Personal Envoy is in its early stages.
The SRSG and the Personal Envoy are significantly exceeding the mandates entrusted to them by the Secretary-General and confirmed by the telephone conversation between His Majesty the King and the latter in August 2012 (no change in MINURSO’s mandate, the pursuit of a mutually acceptable political solution, and the improvement of relations between Morocco and Algeria).
2. MINURSO Activities:
The report reveals that MINURSO maintains an ambiguous relationship with the Polisario.
No clear and firm response has been given to the latter regarding Morocco’s unacceptability of MINURSO official documents being stamped by the Polisario. This is an unacceptable and non-negotiable act for Morocco, I stressed.
MINURSO is losing its neutrality and impartiality, adding that the UN’s reaction is below Morocco’s expectations.
Morocco will further examine the issue of license plates (we will come back to this issue), while waiting to draw conclusions about the future of our relations with MINURSO in the context of the UN Secretary-General’s report.
Morocco questions MINURSO’s attitude, which accepts being escorted by the Polisario east of the sand wall.
3. The OHCHR Technical Visit to Laayoune:
The visit was organized based on the terms of reference agreed upon by Morocco and the OHCHR.
Morocco expresses its astonishment at MINURSO’s encouragement of certain separatist NGOs to meet the OHCHR delegation at its headquarters.
Morocco considers that MINURSO’s attitude in this regard is unacceptable and not within its mandate. The SRSG responded that MINURSO has, at no time, encouraged such meetings. He added that MINURSO services were only requested to facilitate logistical aspects.
The special procedures that visited the Sahara held their meetings either at the hotel where they were staying or at the residences of separatist NGOs.
MINURSO must understand that no special or preferential treatment should be granted to either ASVDH or CODESA, I concluded.
4. General Appraisals:
The meeting took place in a tense atmosphere and was marked by frankness.
The messages transmitted and conveyed, which were very well received by the SRSG, are as follows:
The report is a conspiracy against the political process.
The UN is opening the door to risky options.
The benchmark for UN facilitation and MINURSO’s presence was defined by the telephone conversation between His Majesty the King and Mr. Ban Ki Moon, UN Secretary-General, in August 2012 (no change in MINURSO’s mandate, the mutually acceptable political solution, and the improvement of relations between Morocco and Algeria).
The SRSG could not find any argument to respond to Morocco’s grievances, remaining unable to react, and merely stating that he would report these elements to New York.
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