UN General Assembly
2010

initiative to the United Nations in 2007 with a view to bringing an end to the artificial dispute over the recovery by Morocco of its southern provinces. That bold, innovative initiative has received the support of the international community and the Security Council, which have repeatedly described the efforts underlying it as serious and credible. They have also commended Morocco’s active steps to facilitate the settlement of this dispute, which seriously jeopardizes the integration of the Arab Maghreb and the prosperity of the peoples of its five countries. “In that context, the Kingdom of Morocco calls on the other partners to seize this historic opportunity and engage in substantive and serious negotiations under the auspices of the Secretary- General and his Personal Envoy, to whom we reiterate our sincere willingness to cooperate. “The need to free our region from the yoke of this dispute, which hampers our joint action, has never been greater, not only for us, but also for our strategic partners. We must therefore settle this dispute, given the numerous pressing challenges facing us, especially with respect to