Spain's support for the autonomy plan proposed by Morocco, which is already backed by several other European countries, including Germany, strengthens the position of the Moroccan initiative at the regional level, explained the Italian news website, noting that the Kingdom's solution falls within the framework of UN Security Council resolutions and the UN Charter which calls for a negotiated solution between the parties concerned.

The stance of the government of Pedro Sanchez "confirms the diplomatic successes achieved by Morocco in recent years, materialized in particular by the opening of about twenty consulates in the southern provinces, the Italian media outlet pointed out.

Moroccan-Spanish relations will experience a "positive turning point", it said, noting that Spain has ended the bilateral crisis triggered last April, when the Spanish government received the leader of the Polisario, Brahim Ghali, a criminal wanted by justice, under a fake name to receive treatment in Spain for Covid-19.

In a message sent to HM King Mohammed VI, the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, stressed that "Spain considers the autonomy initiative presented by Morocco in 2007, as the basis, the most serious, realistic and credible, for resolving the dispute" over the Moroccan Sahara.

This decision comes in response to the need to adapt to the specificities of this blessed month and to ensure the appropriate conditions to the exercise of worship, under the decree published on October 26, 2018, relating to legal time, and the decree of the Head of Government relating to the same subject, said the ministry of Digital Transition and Administration Reform in a release.

During the month of Ramadan, public administrations and local authorities will work from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Monday to Friday, the ministry added.

After the month of Ramadan, the clock will be put forward one hour (GMT+1) on Sunday, May 8, 2022, at 2 a.m., according to the same source.

Morocco, it added, has developed a comprehensive policy aimed at integrating these changes in the development of various policies and sectoral plans. 

The Kingdom has an estimated renewable water supply of 22 billion cubic meters, including 18 billion cubic meters of groundwater and 4 billion cubic meters of underground water, according to the statement, issued on the occasion of the participation of the Minister of Equipment and Water, Nizar Baraka, at the Arab Water Ministers' side event held Thursday as part of the 9th World Water Forum.

The availability of water per capita and per year is currently around 606 m3/capita/year and will drop to 560m3/capita/year in 2030, the ministry added, listing Morocco's main challenges in the area of water resources.

All scenarios relating to the situation of water resources have been taken into account in the development of various draft strategies, plans and programs related to water as well as adaptation actions to meet the basic water needs of people and ensure the supply under all climatic conditions including dry periods, the statement added.

These adaptation measures relate mainly to the management of the demand for water by improving the performance of supply networks and the efficiency of the use of drinking water, the ministry explained.

On the international scene, Morocco continues its efforts to support ongoing multilateral negotiations to strengthen solidarity between countries, and achieve the objectives set by the Framework Convention on Climate Change and this through active participation in all sessions of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP) and the hosting and organization of the COP22, which was held in Marrakech in late 2016.

Spain's new position in favor of the Moroccan autonomy initiative ''is likely to influence other European countries, given the geopolitical importance of Morocco, which is a privileged partner of the European Union,'' Miyet told the EU Today news portal.

He added that "the Kingdom of Morocco constitutes a pole of stability in the western Mediterranean in the face of the security and migratory challenges that may arise and the Europeans wish to preserve this situation."

After recalling that the autonomy initiative presented by Morocco in 2007 was described as "credible and serious" in the UN Security Council, he said that "the autonomy solution could become more attractive for certain countries which are still attached to a referendum process which has been bogged down for so long.”

For the former UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, France's support for the Moroccan autonomy plan "could be a major factor in moulding a common European position”.

"Following the recognition by the United States of the Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara, a position supported by several European countries including Germany and the Visgrad group (Poland, Czechia, Slovenia) Spain has now added its unambiguous support to the Moroccan plan,” says EU Today.

During talks with the Lebanese Ambassador to Morocco, Ziad Atallah, the speaker of the Upper House welcomed the solidity of the bonds between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Lebanon in various fields of cooperation, namely politics, culture and society.

Morocco is working to further enhance these relations, given the great potential for cooperation and investment, and to strengthen the commercial and economic bilateral exchange, he was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the House of Advisors.

For his part, the Lebanese diplomat praised the good and solid relations uniting the two countries on all levels, assuring that his country has a great interest in Morocco, which is full of opportunities and potential.

Regarding the Moroccan Sahara, Atallah stressed the clear position of his country in favor of Morocco's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

During this meeting, the two parties agreed on the need to intensify their efforts, in order to take advantage of all possible opportunities to deepen the partnership relations between the two brotherly countries.

On this occasion, Mayara highlighted the powers and composition of the Upper House as well as the role it can play in terms of legislation, monitoring and evaluation of public policies and parliamentary diplomacy, the House of Advisors said in a statement.

For his part, the Iraqi minister welcomed the high level of bilateral cooperation between the two brotherly countries, especially in judicial and legal fields.

During this meeting, the two parties stressed the need to step up efforts to capitalize on all available opportunities to deepen and consolidate the distinguished relations between the two countries and brotherly peoples, the statement concluded.

In this sense, Estelle Ondo, former Minister of Forest Economy, Fisheries and Environment and current member of parliament, stressed that this is a "political and diplomatic" recognition that gives credibility and support to Morocco, and destabilizes the enemies of the territorial integrity of the Kingdom, which remains very active in the UN and Africa to assert its sovereignty over its territories.

"This new position of Spain clearly means that Morocco is winning and progressing by gaining international support of weight," she said in a statement to MAP.

Estelle Ondo has, in the same context, stressed that in the process itself of a final resolution of this artificial conflict, "Morocco is in the process of making the world understand the reality of this conflict and the geostrategic and security issues of this matter that some parties on the other side want to hide" (polisario and Algeria).

She said that the Moroccan plan offers not only guarantees of socio-economic development and protection of the local Sahrawi identity, but also protects its historical territorial and political sovereignty.

Estelle Ondo highlighted the leadership of HM King Mohammed VI, who since his accession to the throne has made the Sahara issue a major aspect of Morocco's foreign policy.

"With Africa, the Sovereign has changed his approach by strengthening cooperation with several countries. And more globally, several historical supporters have been in favor of the Kingdom thanks to a wise diplomacy of HM King Mohammed VI, like the United States, a member of the UN Security Council," she said.

"This dispute is therefore entering a phase of final settlement," she concluded.

For his part, the Gabonese MP, vice-president of the Law Commission and former Minister of Defense, Budget, Youth and Sports, Tourism and Decentralization, Mathias Otounga Ossibadjouo, was pleased to learn of the new position of Spain on the Moroccan Sahara.

Also former Deputy Director of Cabinet of the President of the Republic, Otounga Ossibadjouo commended the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, who allowed this happy outcome.

Regis Immongault, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and current MP, said that this recognition by Spain of the importance of the Sahara issue for Morocco and the Moroccan autonomy initiative as the most serious, realistic and credible basis is "a strong step forward", which should push multilateralism on this issue.

He stressed that Gabon "has always supported the position of its brother country, Morocco, in the resolution of this conflict”.

In a meeting with the President of the CNDH, Amina Bouayach, at the headquarters of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Bachelet commended the Council for its interaction at the national and international levels, and for the submission of thematic reports and monitoring reports for some cases, in addition to the efforts to raise awareness and other actions under the Council's strategy for the promotion of human rights.

"The exchanges with Bachelet were positive and allowed to discuss several fundamental issues related to the mandate and action of the CNDH'', Bouayach told MAP, highlighting, in this regard, the interest shown by the High Commissioner to the positions of the CNDH in the field of protection and promotion of human rights.

Child marriage, alternative sentences and the actions of the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture are among the important topics raised during this meeting, she noted, adding that she had "provided all the data and information related to the issues and cases raised by Bachelet".

In this regard, Bachelet appreciated the work of the CNDH that is not only a reference in the region, but also a national institution of reference for its positions in relation to the country's authorities, she said.

During her stay in Geneva, the President of the CNDH also held talks with the secretariat of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI), following the election of Bouayach as head of the secretariat and vice-president of the Alliance.

The discussions also focused on the next meeting of the GANHRI and the participation of the CNDH in the International Migration Review Forum, to be held in New York next May, as well as on the action plan adopted at the General Assembly and the means of its implementation, in addition to the place and contribution of the CNDH on this plan, she added.

The awarding of the Hassan II Great World Water Prize took place during a ceremony held, Monday, on the occasion of the opening of the 9th edition of the World Water Forum, held under the theme "Water security for peace and development."

Semega, who received the Great Prize from the Minister of Water and Equipment, Nizar Baraka, said he was honored with this distinction, stressing that "the expertise of the OMVS in this area is no longer to be demonstrated."

"This prize rewards the vision of the founding fathers of our four respective countries, but also of those who have followed us. It is a very strong commitment," added the OMVS High Commissioner, who was speaking on Thursday at the celebration of the "Water Day" of the Republic of Mali, as part of the 9th World Forum.

The Organization for the Development of the Senegal River (OMVS) is an intergovernmental development organization created on March 11, 1972, in Nouakchott by Mali, Mauritania and Senegal, to manage the Senegal River basin, which covers an area of 289,000 km2. The Dakar-based Organization has been nominated this year for the Nobel Peace Prize 2022.

The Hassan II Great World Water Prize, created in March 2000, is a joint initiative of the Kingdom of Morocco and the World Water Council, in honor of His Late Majesty Hassan II, for His enlightened and strategic vision in the field of protection and integrated and sustainable management of water resources and for His actions in favor of international cooperation and water resources preservation.

This stance, likely to contribute to ending this dispute that has lasted too long, is dictated by the Realpolitik that has experienced significant changes at the beginning of this century advocating peaceful and pragmatic solutions to conflicts, which favors the approach adopted by Morocco, Fernando Olivan, the director of the Observatory, told MAP.

Therefore, the Moroccan autonomy plan for the Sahara, described by Madrid as "the most serious, realistic and credible basis for resolving the dispute", fits into this geopolitical context and meets the criteria required internationally to resolve this artificial dispute, Olivan noted.

Olivan also stressed that the Spanish government's support to the Moroccan plan is only the culmination of a process initiated in 2007 and which led to the pre-eminence of the Kingdom's proposal.

This position of the Spanish government will pave the way for the strengthening of special bilateral relations, called upon to be further consolidated in the interest of both countries, he underlined.