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ROCKVILLE, Md., April 30, 2016 /Standard Newswire/ --The UN Security Council extended, on Friday, the mandate for MINURSO, the United Nations' (UN) peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara, for one year until April 30, 2017.

In its resolution n°2285, adopted by the majority of the council members with three abstentions and two votes against, the UNSC takes note of the proposition submitted by Morocco to the UNSG on April 11, 2007, and of the serious and credible efforts made by Morocco seeking to make headway with the process of finding a solution to the conflict.

The Council also hailed Morocco's achievements in human rights, notably through the National Human Rights Council (French acronym CNDH) and its branches in Laayoune and Dakhla, as well as the interaction of the Kingdom with the special procedures of the UN Human Rights Council.

Morocco takes note of the resolution n°2285 adopted by the UN Security Council on the Sahara issue, which constitutes a "severe setback for all the maneuvers of the UN Secretariat General", said the Moroccan Foreign Ministry in a statement released few hours after the vote of the resolution.

"This resolution reaffirms the parameters of the political solution, as defined by the Security Council since 2004 and clarified, in operational terms, in 2007. It is, as such, a severe setback for all the maneuvers of the UN Secretariat General, notably those operated during the visit of the Secretary General and those inserted in his latest report", the ministry said , noting that "these maneuvers were aimed at altering the parameters of the political solution, reviving outdated options and introducing elements that are unrecognized by the Security Council".

"The Kingdom of Morocco, which had responded at the time to the excesses of the visit of the Secretary General, expressed, in an official letter, its reservations on the latest report upon its publication, and its total rejection of some statements contained in this document. Similarly, the resolution of the Security Council confirms the mandate of MINURSO as it has evolved in recent years, taking into account the subsequent developments in the case", the same source recalled.

"The Council has decided on all attempts to change the mandate of MINURSO and its extension to non-agreed missions and foreign actions to its purpose", the Foreign Ministry said, noting that "it is in the context of this renewed mandate that the resolution calls for the full functionality of MINURSO".

In this regard, the Kingdom of Morocco will continue, "in full compliance with the decisions it made, dialogue to reach a solution that allows for the mitigation of the severe slips of the Secretary General during his visit to the region, and the proper functioning of the MINURSO, mainly in its core tasks of monitoring the cease-fire and demining in the buffer zone east of the defense wall".

"The Kingdom of Morocco expresses its thanks to the permanent and non-permanent members of the UN Security Council and brotherly Arab countries, which acted with discernment and responsibility in a constructive and friendly spirit to achieve the adoption of a resolution that allows for the serene pursuit of the UN action in this issue", the same source said, adding that the Kingdom of Morocco "regrets, however, that the member of the Security Council, which is responsible for the formulation and presentation of the first draft resolution, has introduced elements of pressure, constraints and weakening, and acted against the spirit of partnership with the Kingdom of Morocco. "

In this context, the Ministry recalled that HM the King had denounced, in his important speech during the Morocco-GCC Summit in Riyadh on April 20, 2016, the sources of inspiration, action and objectives of the parties hostile to the territorial integrity of the Kingdom, which seek to cause regional destabilization".

"Armed with its rights, unity and solidity of its internal front, the Kingdom of Morocco will continue, in good faith and with determination, its involvement in the political process of the settlement of this artificial regional dispute", the ministry underlined.

It concluded that "the Kingdom of Morocco will remain committed to peace and regional and international stability, as it will remain vigilant to all slips or attempts to infringe its legitimate high interests".