RABAT, Nov 6 (Reuters) – Morocco’s King Mohammed gave a speech about Western Sahara on Saturday but made no mention of an Algerian accusation that Morocco targeted Algerian civilians in an incident last week that the United Nations said took place in the disputed territory.

Algeria’s accusation has raised fears of further escalation between the North African rivals after Algeria cut off diplomatic relations, stopped supplying gas to Morocco and blocked Algerian airspace to Moroccan flights.

Ties between the countries have been fractious for years, but have deteriorated since last year after the Algeria-backed Polisario Front said it was resuming its armed struggle for the independence of Western Sahara, a territory Morocco sees as its own.

King Mohammed’s silence on the dispute with Algeria in his annual speech on Western Sahara is in line with Morocco’s practice since soon after Algeria broke off ties in August in ignoring all statements coming from Algiers.

However, Algeria’s accusation on Wednesday that Morocco had killed three civilians driving in the Sahara on Monday has sharply raised the stakes.

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune vowed in a statement that the death of the three men “would not go unpunished”.

Morocco has not formally responded to the accusation.

The U.N. peacekeeping force in Western Sahara, MINURSO, visited the site of the incident in territory outside Moroccan control and found two badly damaged Algerian-plated trucks, a U.N. spokesperson said on Friday. The spokesperson said MINURSO was looking into the incident.

Last year the United States recognised Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara as part of a deal that also included Rabat bolstering ties with Israel.

Morocco has been more assertive since then in pushing European countries to follow suit. However, they have not done so and in September a European Union court said some European trade deals with Morocco were invalid because they included products originating in Western Sahara territory.

King Mohammed said on Saturday that Morocco would not agree “any economic or commercial step that excludes the Moroccan Sahara”.

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Morocco expressed its appreciation and support for the UN Security Council resolution on the Moroccan Sahara, which extends the MINURSO operation for another year, given that Algeria now has an issue with the world community and the Security Council, rather than with Morocco.

The Security Council today renewed the MINURSO mission in the Sahara, with 13 votes in favor and two abstentions, according to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The new decision, according to Bourita, is significant because of its context, content, and the positions taken by countries during its approval, and because it “provides frank and direct answers to all the moves that gave the impression that something would happen,” and because “the answer was clear in terms of the series and its form.” The nature of the solution, the relevant parties, and Morocco’s gains have all been established.”

Morocco praised the countries that voted in favor of the resolution, led by the United States of America and France, through Bourita, emphasizing that “it dealt with the decision calmly and that it is a normal entitlement, but the other parties wanted to make it a turning point.”

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The UN Security Council resolved on Friday to extend the mandate of MINURSO for another year, reaffirming the priority of the Moroccan autonomy initiative in resolving the artificial conflict over the Moroccan Sahara.

The Security Council “decides to extend the mandate of MINURSO until 31 October 2022,” reads the text of the resolution presented by the United States.

The executive body of the United Nations has codified the preeminence of Morocco’s autonomy offer, which was presented on April 11, 2007, in this statement, welcoming the Kingdom’s “serious and credible” efforts, as indicated in the Moroccan proposal.

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United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sharply condemned the Polisario severe and unjustifiable restrictions on MINURSO after its unilateral withdrawal from the ceasefire in his report to the Security Council on the Moroccan Sahara issue.

The “Polisario” is criticized in the report for obstructing (MINURSO capacity)’s to carry out its major job of supervising the ceasefire and monitoring the militias of this armed group, as well as the situation on the ground.

Mr. Guterres called the Security Council’s attention to the fact that his Special Representative and MINURSO Head have consistently criticized these limits.

Despite these protests, the “Polisario” continued to impose severe restrictions on MINURSO’s freedom of movement, preventing it from carrying out logistical and other maintenance tasks, affecting equipment repair and maintenance, as well as the supply of fuel and food to the UN Mission, forcing the situation (MINURSO) to reduce the number of its military obsessives.

The separatist movement was also urged by the United Nations Secretary-General to “immediately lift all restrictions imposed on the freedom of movement of land convoys, air transport, and (MINURSO) personnel located in the east of the defense system, as well as to allow freedom of movement for logistics and maintenance.”

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Western diplomatic sources deny the news promoted by the “Alquds Alarabi” newspaper about the United nations requesting Spain to host members of Minurso in case of war declares in the area of El Guerguarat, southern Morocco.

This news was described as lies based on unreliable sources. The United Nations cannot make such a request because the main goal of this expedition is to preserve peace and not encourage war. Therefore, “Alquds Alarabi” is accused of trying to aggravate the situation and make it even more complicated.

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King Mohammed VI, in his speech today on the Green March anniversary, affirmed that recent years have witnessed tangible developments on several levels. At the level of the United Nations, ” the recent decisions of the Security Council have laid to rest outdated and unrealistic approaches and proposals”. The UN decisions, adds the king, also insist on “the effective participation of the real parties concerned in this regional conflict” and have “irreversibly endorsed the political solution based on realism and consensus as the path forward”. This policy, says the king, goes in line with the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative “backed by the Security Council and the influential powers as the sole normal course of action for the settlement of this dispute”.

At the level of the African Union, the king affirmed that Morocco’s return to its African home led this organization to freeing itself from the “manipulations it had been subjected to for years”. This pan-African organization, added the king, has adopted a “a constructive stance, which consists in providing, through the UN Secretary-General and the Security Council, full support to the United Nations Organization as the sole institution in charge.

On the legal/diplomatic front, the king asserted that the many sister countries which have opened general consulates in the cities of Laayoune and Dakhla, are “explicitly and unequivocally recognizing the Moroccanness of the Sahara” and “attesting to the security, stability and prosperity enjoyed by the inhabitants of our southern provinces”.

The Monarch, in addition, expressed his confidence that the UN and MINURSO will keep carrying out their duties in terms of preserving the ceasefire in the region.

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France plainly denounced the obstruction situation in Guerguerat during the UN vote on resolution 2548 stating that the situation caused by the Polisario and its militias is likely to raise tensions and hinder the political process to find a solution to the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara.

Ambassador permanent representative of France in the UN plainly expressed France’s worry about the obstruction situation in Guerguerat stating that this would lead to raising tension and obstruction of political resolution over the Moroccan Sahara dispute.

Secretary-General’s statement calls on parties to exercise self-control so as to avoid any possible escalations in Guerguerat. France supports the statement and the efforts made by the MINURSO to resolve this issue said Nicolas De Riviere.

France expressed its worry over the escalating violence stated in the latest report of the Secretary-General of the UN. The report stated multiple provocations and violations of the military agreements in the Sahara by the Polisario amounting to thousands.

Nicolas expressed his full support for MINURSO and the critical role it plays in establishing cease-fire agreement which constitutes a key factor in maintaining the stability of the area.

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Moroccan Minister of foreign affairs and African cooperation and Moroccans residing abroad Nasser Bourita said today in a press release that the UN Resolution 2548, adopted by the Security Council on October 30^th,2020 related to the question of the Moroccan Sahara, comes with a triple message: a message of clarity, firmness and consistency.

FM Bourita explained that the resolution clearly defines the real parties of this regional dispute, pointing out the role of Algeria. The latter was cited no less than 5 times, while this country was not mentioned at all in the resolutions prior to 2017. Thus, The Security Council calls on Algeria to assume its role and its political, diplomatic, military and humanitarian involvement in this regional dispute, for there can be no possible political process without the effective and constructive involvement of this country. The resolution also clearly implies that any solution which is not pragmatic, not realistic nor achievable and is therefore to be discarded.

The minister also said that this resolution was very clear on the political process that should only be based on round tables of negotiation, with the participation of all the parties concerned, Algeria particularly.

The Security Council’s resolution, adds the press release, was firm in underlining the humanitarian responsibility of Algeria, which has a duty to comply with its international obligations. Thus, the resolution calls on Algeria, “again, to reconsider the registration of refugees in Tindouf camps.”

Bourita also shed light on the consistency of the resolution which “preserves the achievements of Morocco”, namely the Moroccan autonomy initiative, the parameters of realism, pragmatism and compromise, which characterize it, and which is supported by many countries including permanent members of security council.

The minister emphasized that the security council did not give up to the political blackmail, banditry and harassment of the UN secretariat by the Polisario, and that the resolution definitively confirms the mandate of MINURSO, whose presence is in no way linked to a “hypothetical referendum” which is a rejected option by the Security Council.

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A helicopter belonging to the United Nations “MINURSO” documented the details of the Polisario gangs’ attacks against truck drivers heading to Mauritania.

The attacks caused the destruction of tons of fruits and vegetables, in a blatant breach of the international organization’s decisions that called on the separatists to withdraw from Guerguerat.

An informed source told Morocco Telegram that the Polisario bandits have attempted to prevent the passage of trucks through Guerguerat. They also sought to blackmail the drivers, under the gaze of the “MINURSO” helicopters, which documented their attacks with videos and photographs.

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