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Morocco's King Says Determined to React Against Any Security Threat

Morocco's King Mohammed VI (C), flanked by his brother Prince Moulay Rachid (R) and son Crown Prince Moulay Hassan, speaks to the nation, last July. (AFP)
Morocco's King Mohammed VI (C), flanked by his brother Prince Moulay Rachid (R) and son Crown Prince Moulay Hassan, speaks to the nation, last July. (AFP)
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Morocco's King Says Determined to React Against Any Security Threat

Morocco's King Mohammed VI (C), flanked by his brother Prince Moulay Rachid (R) and son Crown Prince Moulay Hassan, speaks to the nation, last July. (AFP)
Morocco's King Mohammed VI (C), flanked by his brother Prince Moulay Rachid (R) and son Crown Prince Moulay Hassan, speaks to the nation, last July. (AFP)

Morocco's King Mohammed VI warned Monday that his country will respond in self-defense against any threat to his country's security. This came during a phone conversation the King held with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres over the situation in Guerguerat.

King Mohammed stressed that Morocco will take necessary measures to keep order and protect safety and fluidity of passenger and commercial traffic in border area between Morocco and Mauritania.

Morocco, however, also remains "firmly determined to react, with the greatest severity, and in self-defense, against any threat to its security,” the king said, quoted in an official statement.

"Morocco took its responsibility in line with its legitimate right after the UN Secretary-General failed in its laudable attempts to end the unacceptable acts of the Polisario," he noted.

Morocco will continue supporting UN efforts to find a political solution on the basis of clear criteria and with the participation of real parties to this regional conflict in order to find a realistic, feasible solution within Morocco’s sovereignty, he added.

“Morocco restored the situation, proceeded to a lasting settlement of the problem and guaranteed resumption of traffic flow.”

For its part, the Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed support to Morocco in a tweet.

“The government of the Federal Republic of Somalia stands alongside the brotherly Kingdom of Morocco in all the measures it undertakes to protect its security and sovereignty over its territories at the Guerguerat crossing point between Morocco and Mauritania.”

Also, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Gambia issued a press release on Monday to hail Morocco’s “peaceful and decisive intervention” to secure the region after Polisario and its supporters staged illegal protests in the region.

The West African country also said it supports the UN-led political process to find a political solution to the Western Sahara conflict.

Moreover, President of the Pan-African Parliament Roger Nkodo Dang has sent a letter to the African Union foreign ministers to draw their attention to the maneuvers of the 3rd Vice President of the PAP Jamal Bouras against the interests of the Kingdom of Morocco.

The authoritarian abuses of Bouras, who acts as the president without rotation, have created a serious institutional and functional crisis within the Pan-African Parliament, Dang underlined in the letter.

The president, blocked in Cameroon, stressed that all decisions, declarations, and actions taken outside what is provided for by the texts in force, cannot be considered as reflecting the position of the PAP or its legitimate bodies.

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US Senators Introduce Legislation to Repeal Syria's Caesar Act

Syrian Foreign Minister Assaad al-Shaibani (2nd L) looks on as US special envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack raises the flag of the United States at the US ambassador's residence in Damascus, Syria, May 29, 2025. (AFP)
Syrian Foreign Minister Assaad al-Shaibani (2nd L) looks on as US special envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack raises the flag of the United States at the US ambassador's residence in Damascus, Syria, May 29, 2025. (AFP)
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US Senators Introduce Legislation to Repeal Syria's Caesar Act

Syrian Foreign Minister Assaad al-Shaibani (2nd L) looks on as US special envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack raises the flag of the United States at the US ambassador's residence in Damascus, Syria, May 29, 2025. (AFP)
Syrian Foreign Minister Assaad al-Shaibani (2nd L) looks on as US special envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack raises the flag of the United States at the US ambassador's residence in Damascus, Syria, May 29, 2025. (AFP)

US Senators Democrat Jeanne Shaheen and Republican Rand Paul introduced on Thursday a bill repealing the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019.

“The legislation reflects a growing recognition that while the Caesar Act achieved its goal of isolating the Assad regime, it now risks obstructing Syria’s path toward stability, democracy and reconstruction,” they said in a joint statement.

“Repealing the Caesar Act would end broad-based economic sanctions while preserving US tools to hold Syrian officials accountable,” it added.

The act was named after a defector from the Syrian army, who smuggled thousands of photos that document the torture and violations committed in Syrian prisons. It was designed to hold the Assad regime and its backers to account for their war crimes and human rights violations.

“The Syrian people have a generational opportunity to write a new chapter for their country and the entire Middle East,” said Shaheen. “For too long, the brutal Assad dictatorship, propped up by our adversaries Iran and Russia, has ruled with an iron fist. And for too long, the Syrian people have endured a devastating civil war to rid themselves of this oppression.”

“We can keep the new Syrian authorities accountable without decimating the economy. Sustained diplomatic engagement can yield tremendous results,” she stressed.

“I look forward to working with Special Envoy Thomas Barrack to support the Syrian people’s aspirations for democracy, stability and security,” she added.

For his part, Paul said: “For years, I’ve opposed broad sanctions that hurt innocent people more than the regimes they target. While the Caesar Act was intended to isolate the Assad regime, it has ended up punishing everyday Syrians, fueling poverty, crippling recovery, and blocking progress toward peace.”

Senator Rand Paul pauses to speak to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024. (AP)

“This repeal is about restoring a more targeted, principled approach that holds bad actors accountable without inflicting unnecessary suffering on the very people we claim to support,” he stated.

Matthew Levitt, Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute, said it was logical to end the Caesar Act after the reasons for its adoption are no more.

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that it was enacted to tackle the grave human rights violations committed in the Assad regime’s prisons. With the ouster of the regime, there is no need to keep it in place.

Pressure

Meanwhile, Dr. Murhaf Ibrahim, head of the Alawite Association of the United States, said it was important to bolster Syrian-American ties on all levels, to lift sanctions and for the United States to display political and economic openness towards Syria.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he said that in order to boost these ties, they must align with American values related to diversity, democracy, decentralization in state management and respect of human rights.

So far, the government of Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has not committed to these principles, he stressed.

He called on the US Congress to hold the government to account over its pledges to address violations and hold their perpetrators responsible.

It must also review the political and constitutional measures it has taken so far and that have sparked criticism because they do not represent the entire Syrian population, he went on to say.

US Senator Jeanne Shaheen speaks during a press conference with fellow Democratic senators calling on the Trump administration to continue Medicare drug price negotiations on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, January 22, 2025. (Reuters)

Syrian-American lobby

Ahed al-Hendi, Senior Fellow at the Center for Peace Communications in Washington, underlined the importance of the legislation because it was issued by the Senate, which first enacted the Ceasar Act, not the president.

Action by the Congress demonstrates the existence of Syrian-American lobby that did not make do with pledges made by the American administration, he said. Rather, it is working hard to secure bipartisan support to turn President Donald Trump’s words in Riyadh into political and legislative action in Washington.

Even though the administration has still not shaped a clear policy on Syria, the removal of the Caesar Act will help open a new chapter in relations and deliver a clear message that the lifting of sanctions is a necessary step in Syria’s reconstruction, he added.

It will also underscore government efforts to consolidate civil peace, respect minorities and avert regional escalation, he said.

Syrian activist Ayman Abdelnour said the removal of the Caesar Act will no doubt revive Syria and push forward reconstruction efforts.

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that lifting the sanctions will allow the American administration to assess the performance of the new Syrian government on the political, economic and social levels.