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Minister of International Relations Naledi Pandor.
- South Africa says that US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Morocco’s right over Western Sahara has neither force nor effect.
- Western Sahara has welcomed the support of South Africa.
- Morocco wants the United States to open a consulate in Dakhla to focus on economic ties.
The recognition of Western Sahara as part of Morocco by the outgoing US president, Donald Trump, was “totally surprising” and “has neither force nor effect,” International Relations Minister (Dirco) Naledi Pandor said on Monday.
“It is essentially the recognition of an illegality,” Pandor told reporters at a hybrid briefing on South Africa’s international relations last year. He said that several United Nations resolutions have confirmed that Western Sahara has been occupied by Morocco, “… and the effect of something said by the United States of America does not change the legal position of the UN resolution.”
He said that South Africa “… would go on to indicate that we believe that the United States is wrong in its statement and does not agree with multilateral bodies and global recognition of the occupation position and is therefore something we find totally surprising and it has no force or effect. ”
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Trump, in a tweet last week, said he had signed a proclamation recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, in exchange for Morocco agreeing to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel. The United States became the only great power in the world to hold this position over Morocco.
Today I signed a proclamation recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. Morocco’s serious, credible and realistic autonomy proposal is the ONLY basis for a just and lasting solution for lasting peace and prosperity.
– Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 10, 2020
Morocco occupied Western Sahara in 1975 and left the Organization of African Unity in 1984 after the Arab Democratic Republic joined as a member. Morocco was accepted as a member of the African Union (AU) in 2017. Thirty-eight nations, including South Africa, recognize the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and have diplomatic relations with it.
Against
Pandor said that the recognition of Morocco by the United States “… goes against international law and the Constitutive Act of the African Union” and could fuel hostilities between Morocco and the Sahrawis. “Silencing weapons in these situations requires addressing the root causes of conflicts, which invariably include governance deficits, human rights abuses and disputes over resources,” he said.
The AU at a summit earlier this month, hosted by South Africa as this year’s president, agreed that the role of foreign interests in conflicts on the continent needs further attention, he said.
The Sahrawi Ambassador to South Africa, Mohammed Beissat, welcomed South Africa’s support:
“South Africa is the president of the UN Security Council this month and the president of the AU, so it gives some impetus to the statements of Madame Naledi Pandor.”
Beissat added that self-determination was an American value and expressed confidence that President-elect Joe Biden would revoke Trump’s proclamation.
On the other hand, the Moroccan ambassador to South Africa, Youssef Amrani, welcomed Trump’s proclamation and asked that the friendly countries of Morocco support it. He said the United States should open a consulate in Dakhla, which is located in Western Sahara, for economic purposes.
Positions
He also said that King Mohammed VI had reaffirmed the “… commitment and positions of Morocco for peace and stability in the Middle East with Palestine and Israel living side by side.”
The US decision comes amid growing tensions between Morocco and the Polisario Front of Western Sahara. A 29-year ceasefire ended last month after the Polisario accused Morocco of launching a military operation in a buffer zone, but Morocco said it acted because the Polisario was blocking the passage of people and goods.
Morocco has become the fourth Arab nation since August, after the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan, to normalize relations with Israel as part of a deal negotiated by the United States.
In his briefing on Monday, Pandor also said that South Africa was concerned about conflicts in Libya, the Sahel, Cabo Delgado in Mozambique, South Sudan and the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. He did not mention the Tigray region of Ethiopia, where President Cyril Ramaphosa’s mediation efforts on behalf of the AU were rejected by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
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