ON JANUARY 30, Panama voiced its "support for the Autonomy Initiative" presented by Morocco in 2007, as “the only basis for a just and lasting solution" to the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara, committing to “define its future action and take position on the basis of this declaration”.
This national position was expressed in a joint declaration signed following the bilateral talks held, via video conference, between Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Co-operation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, and his Panamanian peer, Janaina Tewaney Mencomo. In the joint declaration, Panama “considers that the United Nations remain the appropriate mechanism” to bring together “all stakeholders” to seek the political solution that the Security Council calls for. In this respect.
It reiterated the importance of advancing the political process at the international level, taking into account, in a “serious and respectful” manner, Security Council resolutions to identify points of convergence. Panama’s position on the Moroccan Sahara is clear and is part of the international momentum driven by the autonomy plan presented by the Kingdom.
The Central American country is thus updating its national position with regard to the artificial conflict over the Moroccan Sahara, which marks a substantial evolution. This position is part of the international momentum driven by the autonomy plan for the southern provinces which this country, like so many others, deems as the one and “only solution” to this artificial dispute.
The joint declaration reflects Panama’s conviction that the solution to this conflict can only be realistic, as affirmed and confirmed by UN Security Council resolutions. Driven by this conviction, Panama emphasises that in addition to opting for a realistic solution – as affirmed and confirmed by Security Council resolutions, it calls for a compromise solution when it speaks of “bringing together all stakeholders with a view to a common effort towards a definitive solution”.
Thus, it aligns itself with an overwhelming majority of the international community, which underlines the centrality of the UN and its Security Council in particular, in seeking a definitive political solution.
Through this declaration, the Republic of Panama joins the majority of countries of the international community (more than a hundred), which have labelled the autonomy initiative as the only solution to the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara, supporting Morocco’s serious and credible efforts and thus moving away from extreme and unrealistic solutions which prolong the dispute and delay regional integration in North Africa.
The Star