King Mohammed VI said on Monday that Morocco maintained with confidence and responsibility its commitment to the momentum launched by the UN Secretary General, in cooperation with his personal envoy, for the settlement of the Sahara issue.

Morocco’s commitment is based on the fundamentals that have already been clarified by the Kingdom, said the Moroccan Sovereign in a speech to the Nation on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the Revolution of the King and the People.

The first of these fundamentals is that no settlement of the Sahara issue is possible outside the full sovereignty of Morocco and outside the autonomy initiative, which the international community has recognized as serious and credible.

In this connection, King Mohammed VI noted with satisfaction that “there is increasing compatibility between these principles and the stances adopted by the international community”.

The recent resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council and the African Union Summit confirm, without any doubt, that the UN has exclusive authority to manage the political process relating to the Sahara issue.

King Mohammed VI also paid tribute to African leaders who “have reacted positively to Morocco’s principled stances and responded to the call of the Security Council, which invited the members of the international community to support its efforts”.

Morocco’s position pleading that the Sahara issue be dealt with under the exclusive leadership of the UN was backed by the AU, which adopted the same position at its latest summit in Nouakchott.