Address of Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Rachid Talbi El Alami, on Session of the International Parliament for Tolerance and Peace in Dakhla
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful, and may prayers and peace be upon His noble Messenger and his kith and kin.
Honorable President of the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace,
Honorable President of the International Parliament for Tolerance and Peace,
Esteemed President of the Dakhla – Oued Eddahab Regional Council,
Ladies and gentlemen,
At this historic session of the International Parliament of the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace on this gracious, blessed, and generous land of Dakhla in our dear southern provinces, one can only express his tremendous and sincere pleasure at the influencing power of this moment that enriches the historical landscape, as it is marked by the presence of a number of our brothers and prominent guests who did not hesitate to send a message from here, the land of peace; a bold and honest peace message in solidarity with the truth, consistent with the course of history, and triumphant to the values of love and brotherhood and the principles of international law and legality.
Dear brothers and friends, the city of Dakhla, hosting you today, is no longer a mere city of sand, sea, and sun. On the opposite, this city has become an international diplomatic pole endowed with several consulates and representations that several brotherly and friendly countries have chosen to open to move forward in history, assert the Moroccan position, and follow up the course of transformations and responsible positions of powerful States in the Mediterranean, African, Arab, and world scene.
The official decision of the Moroccan State has been taken, and His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God protect him, has declared Dakhla a grand economic pole for which all the necessary conditions, requirements, qualifications, and facilitations have been provided to implement tourism investments and major development projects. In the same vein, the region witnesses a development planning that is open to its African depth, the construction of a seaport in alignment with international standards, incentive privileges to encourage investments and facilitate land acquisition, the contribution of the Moroccan State to the expenditures relating to vocational training outlined in the investment program, as well as other privileges, guarantees, and incentives. All these components link up to consolidate the excellent development process in these regions.
The Kingdom of Morocco, having settled its order and installed its regional system on constitutional, political, economic, socio-cultural, and strategic foundations, today moves towards a cohesive regional edifice marked with a clear vision and orientation towards the future. Such an edifice would reflect the solid Moroccan national determination led by the country's Monarch and all the nation's components and living forces in a responsible and conscious response to the signals of the international community and the initiatives of major and active countries that influence the course of events.
Moreover, esteemed ladies and gentlemen, the Kingdom of Morocco did not hesitate to show good intentions, express its profound belief in the Maghreb fraternity, attachment to shared history, and bet on a united future. In this regard, His Majesty King Mohammed VI took the initiative on more than one occasion; the latest of which was His Majesty's speech on the 22nd anniversary of his accession to the Throne in July 2021, when he extended his hand to the neighbor, Algeria, which we consider to be the direct party to the ongoing artificial conflict around our southern provinces. In his speech, His Majesty the King gave a vivid example of the choice of wisdom, reason, dialogue, good neighborliness, recognition of the historical, geographical, social, cultural, and linguistic ties, and compatibility with international legality and mechanisms that govern relations between States, as well as respect for the Arab Maghreb Union Treaty, concluded in Marrakech, which has formed and continues to be the solid legal nucleus of the Arab Maghreb Union. It is then that His Majesty the King called on the Algerian leadership to engage in a dialogue without preconditions, join forces, cooperate, and build equal relations as two fraternal countries, thereby embodying the lessons of brotherhood, history, and common struggle for national independence, particularly the role of the Kingdom of Morocco and the late His Majesty King Mohammed V. However, His Majesty’s concern was not only about history, but also the coordination of efforts to address common challenges such as irregular migration, human trafficking, terrorism, smuggling of arms and drugs, organized crime, and other ones.
On this very occasion, in this beloved city and this particular inter-parliamentary space, I would like to emphasize that the Kingdom of Morocco will abandon no grain of sand from its national soil, and what history, reason, logic, and the course of international relations have considered a truly Moroccan right, and a strategic property linked to existence, identity, and fate.
In this spirit, our country has responded to the international will in the face of the impasse and the impossibility of applying previous proposals aimed at resolving the artificial conflict and safeguarding the Kingdom's legitimate and legal historical right to its territory after eliminating the Spanish occupation that confiscated it. To this end, the Kingdom of Morocco presented the autonomy initiative in the Moroccan Sahara under the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Morocco and its national and territorial integrity. The autonomy proposal remains essentially a consensual, open, responsible, and creative initiative that can embrace all our Saharan brothers, both within and outside Morocco, and empower them to democratically and autonomously manage their local affairs by choosing their local legislative, representative, and judiciary bodies via this modern democratic means of expression, under an absolute autonomy that is reflected in several actual and serious examples worthy of consideration in several democratic States and consensual political systems in Europe, North America, Asia, and Africa. You, esteemed ladies and gentlemen, may already be aware of the support, esteem, and valuation the Moroccan proposal has gained from the various prominent, influential, and active international powers, as they all have attested to the seriousness of the autonomy initiative, its credibility, robust bases, plausible tenor, and legal references.
Thus, we look forward to every supporting solidarity initiative that defends rights, fairness, logic, and the future. We therefore highly appreciate the decision of the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace to hold this parliamentary session in the city of Dakhla. It is a bold and responsible initiative on your part, consistent with your institutional orientation to work within the framework of what the international community agreed upon to address global peace issues, seek to uphold the values of modern dialogue and tolerance based on parity rather than predominance; promote the values and principles of peace; develop, share, and consolidate the norms of international law; respect the values of dialogue and multiculturalism; and lay the foundations of dialogue between cultures and societies in a universal human horizon that takes into account the interests of States, secures the resources of populations, and imposes adherence to international laws, standards, and regulations agreed upon under the auspices of the United Nations and by members of the international community.
Finally, I would like to welcome you to your second country, hoping that you enjoy your stay in the city of Dakhla, just as you enjoyed your stay in the capital, Rabat, aspiring, together with you, for results that advocate the values of democracy, tolerance, and peace, and preserve the traditions of parliamentary action, including an innovative spirit that supports rights, fairness, and justice objectively.
Thank you for your keen listening.