Morocco to reopen embassy in Syria
Morocco backs Syria's territorial integrity and national sovereigntyRABAT: King Mohammed VI said on Saturday Morocco would reopen its embassy in Damascus, which has been closed since 2012.Morocco backs Syria's territorial integrity and national sovereignty, he told an Arab League summit in a speech read on his behalf.
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Arab News
6 days ago
- Arab News
British FM says Morocco's autonomy plan for W. Sahara ‘most credible' solution
RABAT: British Foreign Minister David Lammy said on Sunday that Morocco's autonomy plan for the territory of Western Sahara was the 'most credible' solution to the decades-long dispute, reversing London's long-standing position. Western Sahara, a mineral-rich former Spanish colony, is largely controlled by Morocco but has been claimed in its entirety for decades by the pro-independence Polisario Front, which is backed by Algeria. Morocco has been campaigning for broad support for its autonomy plan after obtaining US recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over the disputed territory in 2020, in exchange for the normalization of diplomatic relations with Israel. 'The United Kingdom considers Morocco's autonomy proposal submitted in 2007 as the most credible, viable and pragmatic basis for a lasting resolution of the dispute,' Lammy told reporters in Rabat. Britain previously backed self-determination for the disputed territory, which Morocco claims as an integral part of its kingdom. The United Kingdom considers Morocco's autonomy proposal submitted in 2007 as the most credible, viable and pragmatic basis for a lasting resolution of the dispute UK Foreign Minister David Lammy Moroccan foreign minister Nasser Bourita welcomed the shift, saying the new British position contributed 'greatly to advancing this momentum and promoting the UN path toward a definitive and mutually acceptable solution based on the autonomy initiative.' Rabat's push for support for its autonomy plan has seen success. Spain and Germany now officially back the Moroccan autonomy plan, while France last summer recognized Morocco's sovereignty over the territory. 'This year is a vital window of opportunity to secure a resolution before we reach 50 years of the dispute in November,' said Lammy. The foreign minister also said it encouraged 'relevant parties to engage urgently and positively with the United Nations-led political process.' The United Nations considers Western Sahara a 'non-self-governing territory' and has had a peacekeeping mission there since 1991, whose stated aim is to organize a referendum on the territory's future. But Rabat has repeatedly ruled out any vote where independence is an option, instead proposing an autonomy plan. The ceasefire collapsed in mid-November 2020 after Moroccan troops were deployed to the far south of the territory to remove separatists blocking the only route to Mauritania — a route they claimed was illegal, as it did not exist in 1991. The UN Security Council is calling for negotiations without preconditions, while Morocco insists they focus solely on its autonomy plan. 'The only viable and durable solution will be one that is mutually acceptable to the relevant parties and is arrived at through compromise,' added Lammy. In a joint statement, the United Kingdom noted that its export credit agency, UK Export Finance, may consider supporting projects in the Sahara as part of its commitment to mobilize 5 billion British pounds (approximately 5.9 billion euros) for new economic initiatives in Morocco.
Arab News
26-05-2025
- Arab News
Kenya backs Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara, joint statement says
RABAT: Kenya said on Monday it supports Morocco's plan to give the disputed region of Western Sahara autonomy under the North African kingdom's sovereignty, joining a growing number of African, Arab and Western countries that have tilted toward backing Rabat in the five-decade conflict. The long-frozen conflict, dating back to 1975, pits Morocco, which considers the territory as its own, against the Algeria-backed Polisario front, which seeks an independent state in the desert territory. In a joint statement issued after talks between the two countries' foreign ministers in Rabat, Kenya said it views the Moroccan plan as the only credible and realistic solution and the sole sustainable approach. Kenya, after 60 years of bilateral diplomatic ties with Morocco, also opened an embassy in Rabat on Monday. Morocco, a leading phosphates and fertilizer producer, has agreed to immediately accelerate exports of soil nutrients to Kenya, as the two countries plan to cooperate on renewable energies, tourism, fisheries, security and cultural and religious affairs, the joint statement said. Morocco's foreign minister Nasser Bourita told reporters that Kenya's position on Western Sahara, which he called 'the national cause,' helped add a new impetus to bilateral relations. Kenya is looking to export more tea, coffee and fresh produce to Morocco to balance its trade, Kenyan foreign minister Musalia Mudavadi said on his X account. Kenya also backed a Moroccan initiative offering landlocked Sahel states access to global trade through Morocco's Atlantic ports, the joint statement said.
Arab News
22-05-2025
- Arab News
Morocco to spend $670 million to replenish livestock up to 2026
RABAT: Morocco plans to spend 6.2 billion dirhams ($670 mln) on a 2025-2026 program to replenish its livestock herd, which has been reduced following years of prolonged drought, agriculture minister Ahmed El Bouari said on Thursday. Six years of drought caused mass job losses in the farming sector and reduced the cattle and sheep herds by 38 percent this year, compared to the last census nine years ago. Under the recovery program, 3 billion dirhams will be allocated in 2025 and 3.2 billion next year to measures including debt relief and restructuring for livestock farmers, as well as feed subsidies, Bouari told reporters. The government also includes aid to farmers who retain breeding female livestock, along with veterinary campaigns, genetic improvement and artificial insemination, he said. In February, authorities asked citizens to forgo the ritual of slaughtering sheep on the Eid Adha this year, to help restore the sheep herd.
