Cape Verdean MP and lawyer, Hélio Sanches, has stated that by recognizing the Moroccan nature of the Sahara, and the autonomy plan presented by Morocco to settle the conflict over the Moroccan Sahara, Cape Verde has taken a position consistent with international law, in particular with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and with the positions of the United Nations.
This revelation was published on Wednesday by Mr. Sanchez, who was a candidate in the October 2021 presidential elections in Cape Verde, in an article published in the local newspaper “Expresso Das Ilhas”.
Thus, Mr. Sanchez stressed that the position of the government of Cape Verde is correct, consistent, meets the aspirations of the Sahrawis, and is part of the evolution of this process, within the framework of the United Nations, adding that the Cape Verdean government is constitutionally competent to conduct the foreign policy of the country towards the Moroccan Sahara.
In the same context, the Cape Verdean MP added that this position is not isolated at the international level, but is in line with the positions of almost all African countries, the United States of America, and Europe, such as Spain.
The recognition of Morocco’s territorial integrity, including the Moroccan Sahara, which marks a “new era”, with the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and, above all, with the installation of a Consulate in Dakhla, in the Sahara, is a major political decision, within the exclusive constitutional competence of the legitimate government of the Republic of Cape Verde, which directs the country’s foreign policy, and must be respected by all, including the other organs of sovereignty, he continued.
He also considered that “contrary to certain recent statements, the African Union has no legitimacy to intervene and mediate in the Sahara question, since it recognized this territory as a member, in violation of its constitutional charter, when there was still a dispute with Morocco”.
Finally, Mr. Sanches reiterated that the autonomy plan presented by Morocco is the only solution for resolving this dispute. It is also a position that follows the evolution of the world and the dynamics of international relations and the New World Order”, added Mr. Sanches.