King Mohammed vows to protect territorial integrity
Morocco-Maghreb, Politics, 8/1/2002

Morocco's King Mohammed VI vowed to protect Morocco's territorial integrity and not to renounce an inch of its land.

In a speech delivered on the occasion of the Throne Day marked on Tuesday to commemorate the third anniversary of his enthronement, the sovereign said "We once again proclaim our unshakable determination to protect our territorial integrity and not to renounce an inch of our territory."

The king also refused the thesis to partition the Sahara and warned of the option's underlying balkanization threats and risks for the Arab Maghreb region and the whole African continent.

However, he deplored, hostile stands by the opponents of Morocco's territorial integrity grew fiercer, openly opposing the UN option. He also regretted that "these opponents went as far as adopting a partition thesis, unveiling thus all the flimsy arguments that were used to mislead the international public opinion, under the pretext of defending the self-determination principle."

After he stressed that Morocco was hoping that member countries of the Arab Maghreb Union would scrupulously adhere to the essence and form of the Marrakesh treaty, and particularly to the provisions related to the respect of the union members' sovereignty and territorial integrity, the king regretted "that the ambiguous stand wittingly kindled was actually hiding a truth that has today come under broad daylight" after the open sponsoring of Morocco's fragmentation and backing to the aggression against the northern enclaves of the Kingdom.

Despite this, he went on, Morocco "was keen not to tread on the path of total rupture, opting for energizing and reactivating the institutions of the Arab Maghreb Union," drawing on its civilizational heritage, the legitimacy of its right, the constancy of its stands, and given its adherence to the values of moderation, wisdom and circumspection and its trust in the future.

He also emphasized that the UMA constitutive treaty provides for the banning of any activity threatening the security of one of the member states or the inviolability of one of the regimes.

He further wondered what the reaction of any UMA member state would have been, had its territorial integrity been harmed, and a group of its citizens been sequestered and detained, in violation of international conventions, human ideals and Islamic values.

"The Maghreban Union cannot be reactivated unless divergences and antagonisms are overcome, unless conspiracy, dismembering and betrayal are rejected, unless visions are harmonized, goals clarified and constants respected and unless there is genuine will to spread brotherhood, trust and solidarity and to be imbued by wisdom and by a spirit of unity and consensus," the king insisted before expressing Morocco's readiness to "hold constructive dialogue and to work earnestly with its brethren to build up the Maghreban Union" that he described as an "inevitable strategic choice."

Previous Stories:
  King Mohammed delivers Throne Day speech   (7/31/2002)
  UN Security Council discuss Sahara Mission   (7/30/2002)
  Sit-in of solidarity with Moroccans detained on Algerian territory   (7/30/2002)

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