Serbia-Morocco relations seem to be in good shape judging by the events organized at the initiative of the Kingdom’s diplomatic representation in Serbia. One after the other, a gastronomic evening, to present the Moroccan and culinary arts of hospitality as well as a seminar under the slogan ” United in values, a comparison of the approaches and experiences of Morocco and Serbia in defending territorial integrity and national sovereignty were organized this week in Belgrade.
If some people still have water in their mouths about the second event from the first event, it was above all a question of restoring historical truths, especially since it was through the voice of a French legal expert, Jérôme Besnard in this case, who confirmed on Tuesday in Belgrade that “Algeria, driven by geopolitical considerations, fabricated the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara by sponsoring the Polisario events and providing it with political, diplomatic, financial and military support “.
The French jurist who spoke about the emergence of this artificial conflict, indicated that ” the question of the Moroccan Sahara remained the question of the completion of the territorial integrity of Morocco”, stressing that “the Sahara is above all a regional conflict of a geopolitical nature, which can only be resolved if Algeria is fully involved in the political process, which takes place under the exclusive aegis of the United Nations, in accordance with Security Council resolution 2654 “.
Jérôme Besnard further stated during this symposium organized jointly between the Faculty of Diplomacy and Security of the University of (Union – Nikola Tesla) and the Coalition for the Autonomy of the Sahara (AUSACO), that “ Algeria’s military commitment was clearly reflected in the Battle of Amgala in 1976, during which dozens of Algerian soldiers were captured and sent home after a few months”, adding that“It was time for this regional dispute to be resolved within the parameters clearly defined by the latest Security Council resolutions, including in particular 2602, which call for a realistic, lasting, pragmatic political solution based on compromise “.
The professor of constitutional law and author of the book ” Rethinking the Sahara Dispute: History and Contemporary Perspective (Rethinking the Sahara Dispute: History and Contemporary Perspective), explained that Algeria has delegated its authority over part of its territory, in the Tindouf camps, to the Polisario, in flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, allowing to ” commit the most heinous human rights violations against the civilian population detained in these camps for almost fifty years “.
Jérôme Besnard added that “ the insistence of the main party to this dispute, Algeria, in its behavior hinders the achievement of a definitive political solution makes the Maghreb region by making itself the weakest link in the field of regional cooperation and in the level of the Mediterranean area, which complicates the resolution of the existential challenges that African and European countries are collectively facing “.
Resolution No. 2654 of the UN Security Council included a triple recognition, the first of which is that of the transcendental nature of the proposals of the other parties to the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara, the second is that of the fait accompli, and finally that the importance of the Moroccan autonomy initiative as the only basis for a political solution to this artificial conflict, he stressed.
The expert deemed it useful to recall this proposal, ” which is fully in line with King Mohammed VI’s project for a democratic, contemporary and open society, drawing its strength from the process of consultation and effective democratic participation that preceded its crystallization “. For Besnard, this initiative is in fact ” the result of extensive local, national and international consultations “.
The author revealed that the Kingdom has already laid the groundwork necessary for the implementation of the autonomy of the Moroccan Sahara, noting that his multiple visits to the region have enabled him to observe that “the Moroccan Sahara lives in peace, freedom and democracy”, which highlights the level of development of these regions.
He added that since the recovery of the Moroccan Sahara, Morocco has endeavored to raise these regions to the same level of development enjoyed by other regions of the Kingdom, stressing that Sahrawi Moroccans, like the rest of their compatriots, enjoy all their rights guaranteed to them by the constitution, and contribute in their role to political decision-making through elections.
Aware of the role played by the Sahara as an engine of regional trade and a hub for the African Atlantic coast, around thirty countries and regional organizations have decided to open general consulates in the cities of Laayoune and Dakhla, expressing thus their recognition of the Moroccanness of the Sahara.