Saudi Arabia expressed on Saturday its support to Morocco's move to cement freedom of civilian and commercial travel in the Guerguerat buffer zone in the Sahara. The Foreign Ministry condemned all practices that threaten safe travel in this vital road that connects Morocco to neighboring Mauritania. It called for restraint and avoiding escalation in line with relevant international resolutions. Oman, and Jordan too expressed on Saturday their support for Morocco's intervention to secure the flow of passengers and goods at the Guerguerat crossing point, near the Moroccan-Mauritanian border. Oman's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a similar statement in support of Morocco's sovereignty over its southern provinces. The Sultanate expressed its support for the measures that Morocco took to "preserve security and sovereignty in its land and secure the civil and commercial freedom of movement in the buffer zone of Guerguerat." Oman also reiterated its support for the UN's efforts to reach a political solution to the Western Sahara conflict. Meanwhile, Jordan condemned the "illegal incursion" of the Polisario Front in Guerguerat and reiterated its support for Morocco's territorial integrity. "Jordan affirms its support for the measures that King Mohammed VI ordered to restore safety and security in the buffer zone of Guerguerat," the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. On Friday morning, Morocco's Royal Armed Forces launched a "non-offensive operation" to establish a security cordon in the crossing point of Guerguerat after armed members of the separatist Polisario Front blocked traffic for several weeks. On Friday night, soon after Morocco announced its army had completely secured the Moroccan-Mauritanian crossing point, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Qatar expressed their support for the Moroccan military. —SG/agencies
