HIBAPRESS
Former Algerian Minister and well-known thinker, Nourredine Boukrouh, said that the Sahara issue has entered its final stage, and that the scales are clearly tipping in favor of Morocco "without dispute," stressing that the Kingdom has reached this stage after fifty years of continuous political, diplomatic and military work, while the Polisario Front has only two options left: accepting autonomy or falling into the category of "terrorism".
Military firmness and diplomatic shrewdness
Boukrouh explained, in a long post on his Facebook page, that Morocco has adopted a balanced policy between "the carrot and the stick" during the past decades, combining military firmness and diplomatic shrewdness, until it was able to overcome the ruling issued by the International Court of Justice in 1975, which had denied the existence of Moroccan sovereignty over the southern territories.
The former minister pointed out that Rabat has succeeded in "replacing the old international law with a new international legitimacy" that has been based since 2007 on the autonomy project presented by Morocco, adding that this project is now supported by the majority of the member states of the United Nations.
Boukrouh confirmed that Morocco has completely blocked the path of both Algeria and the Polisario, who have remained committed to the option of "referendum" in its sole meaning, which is "independence," noting that the concepts of politics change with the changing times and the balance of power, and that the world today no longer deals with the old logic that Algeria was promoting.
The Algerian thinker stressed that the Polisario no longer has any option other than autonomy or the fate of terrorist-classified organizations, noting that the Front has never presented any realistic alternative after the failure of its strategy based on the slogan "all or nothing" for half a century.
Boukrouh called on the leadership of the Front to enter into serious negotiations to obtain "better than what is currently being offered to it," reminding that the Moroccan initiative is open to realistic proposals with the exception of the option of an "independent state," and that it is based on granting the Sahara real autonomy within a state that knows rapid growth and institutional stability.
Rabat's confidence in the fairness of its proposal
The former minister revealed that many do not understand the true content of the Moroccan initiative, as it is not just about administrative decentralization, but rather proposes an integrated model for a region with real autonomy within a unified state, whose inhabitants enjoy independent legislative, executive and judicial structures, wide powers and sufficient financial resources to manage their affairs.
Boukrouh indicated that the initiative allows Sahrawis abroad to return to their homeland and reunite with their brothers at home, pointing out that Article 27 of the Moroccan proposal stipulates that the autonomy system be presented to a free referendum for the population as an effective translation of "the right to self-determination."
He added that the Moroccan text does not talk about the possibility of rejection, which reflects Rabat's confidence in the fairness of its proposal and in the desire of the Sahrawis to integrate within a realistic and sustainable solution.
The Moroccan state also retains its sovereign powers in the fields of defense, foreign relations, the constitution and religion, in exchange for granting the Sahrawi regions real self-governing authority.
The plan also includes, according to Boukrouh, the formation of a joint transitional council between representatives of Morocco and the Polisario to supervise disarmament and the reintegration of returnees, in addition to issuing a general amnesty that includes members of the Front, except for those involved in serious crimes, while enabling the population to participate in the national parliament and elect a regional parliament and a local government responsible to it.
Boukrouh concluded his post by saying that the Moroccan approach expresses political maturity and an advanced strategic vision, and constitutes the nucleus of a model that can be developed in the future towards an integrated federal form, adding that the success of the experience will bring about an intellectual and political transformation in the entire Maghreb region, and will move it from the stage of conflicts to the stage of construction and unity.
