15 members of the General Assembly of the Andean Parliament reiterated, in a petition addressed to the Andean Parliament’s Speaker, their firm position supporting Morocco’s territorial integrity and the autonomy plan as a solution to the dispute over the Moroccan Sahara.
In this declaration-petition, a copy of which was addressed to the Moroccan parliament, the parliamentarians called for “the promotion of peace and stability, and civilized dialogue as the best way to reach an agreement for a better climate of real and lasting peace.”
This petition recalled that on July 4, 2022, the Moroccan Parliament, represented by the Speakers of the House of Representatives and the House of Councilors, attended the session of the General Assembly of the Andean Parliament held in Laayoune, during which a position in favor of parliamentary cooperation and political dialogue was adopted.
During this session, the Andean parliamentarians, who surveyed the situation on-site during their visit to socio-economic development projects and educational and medical facilities, reported an atmosphere of “peace, stability, and development prevailing in the region.”
In this regard, the declaration stressed that the visits of Andean parliamentarians to Morocco enabled them to witness the reform projects undertaken in the Southern region, as well as socioeconomic development the respect for human rights, which make Morocco a leading figure in its regional environment and a gateway for Andean and Latin American countries to Africa and the Arab world.
The petition recalls the last official resolution, passed by the Andean Parliament, on October 27, 2022, in Bucaramanga, Colombia, which supports the political sovereignty, national unity, and territorial integrity of the sovereign states recognized by the United Nations (UN) and expressed support for the Moroccan autonomy plan as a practical, serious, and credible resolution to this regional dispute. on October 27, 2022, in Bucaramanga, Colombia.
In this regard, the petition requests that the Speaker of the Andean Parliament abide by the agreement terms made with the Moroccan Parliament and continue inviting Moroccan representatives to the General Assembly sessions, as has been done with previous Speakers of the Andean Parliament since Morocco’s admission as an observer member and advanced partner of this regional parliamentary body.
The Moroccan parliament was quick to note that the current Speaker of the Andean Parliament attempted to include the so-called “Sahrawi National Council” as an observer member of the Andean Parliament, which was refused by the majority of the members of the Assembly. Following his failure, the Speaker of the Andean Parliament has made sure not to invite the Moroccan parliament, contrary to what is stipulated in the agreement signed between the Moroccan parliament and its Andean counterpart.
The Moroccan parliament further noted that the current president tried to deceive the attendees of the 17th session of the Union of Councils of the Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), recently held in Algeria, by claiming that the Andean Parliament supports the illusions of the nation hosting the so-called “rasd,” noting that “this petition follows the statement of the Committee on Foreign Policy, International Relations, and Parliamentary Diplomacy in the Andean Parliament to expose the desperate attempts of the president and prove that she speaks for a minority of members.”
In this regard, the Moroccan parliament recalled that three of the five representatives of the Republic of Colombia and three of the five members of the Executive Board are signatories of this petition and rejecting the claims of the Andean parliament’s Colombian president.
In addition, 15 of the General Assembly’s 25 members rejected the President’s statements and reiterated their support for the Kingdom’s territorial integrity and its initiative to grant autonomy to the southern provinces under Moroccan sovereignty. This is also the case in the Committee on Foreign Affairs, where three out of five members have signed a statement affirming their support for the unity and territorial sovereignty of the Kingdom of Morocco over all of its lands.
In a similar context, the speakers of the two houses of the Moroccan Parliament, Enaam Mayara and Rachid Talbi Alami, highly praised the “commendable efforts and high patriotic spirit” shown by its representatives in the Andean Parliament.
Morocco is represented in the Andean Parliament by deputies Fatine El Ghali and Mohammed Benjelloun Touimi (House of Representatives), and Councilor Abdelkader Salama (House of Councilors).