The Netherlands has renewed support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan, describing it as the most genuine and realistic solution to end the dispute over Western Sahara.
Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Tom Berendsen conveyed his country’s position in a press briefing held on Tuesday in Rabat.
The briefing followed his meeting with his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita. The stand was also affirmed in a Joint Communiqué issued following talks between Bourita and Berendsen, who is on a working visit to Morocco on April 7 and 8.
Berendsen further reaffirmed the Netherlands’ support for United Nations Security Council Resolution 2797, as well as for the efforts of the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Staffan de Mistura, to “facilitate and conduct negotiations based on the autonomy plan proposed by Morocco, with a view to achieving a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution.”
Moreover, according to the Joint Communiqué, the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs stated that “the Netherlands will act in line with its position, including at the diplomatic and economic levels, in accordance with international law.”
In December last year, the Netherlands made similar remarks, also welcoming the adoption of Resolution 2797.
The UN Security Council endorsed the autonomy plan as a genuine political solution to end the dispute over Western Sahara.
