Belgium has become the latest Western nation to endorse Morocco's autonomy proposal as a solution for the decades-long Western Sahara dispute, according to a joint Moroccan-Belgian declaration signed Thursday.
Autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty "is the most adequate, serious, credible and realistic basis to reach a political solution" to the Western Sahara issue, Belgium said in the joint declaration signed in Brussels by Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and Belgian Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prevot.
In his annual report to the Security Council on the Western Sahara, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres highlighted a renewed international commitment to resolving the issue.
This report, published Wednesday, highlights the imperative to seize this historic moment to accelerate the search for a lasting political solution.
A key element of the report is the renewed commitment of the major powers, which are strengthening their calls for a negotiated solution based on the Autonomy Initiative proposed by Morocco.
