The UN Security Council is set to hold a closed-door meeting on December 21 to discuss developments in Morocco’s Western Sahara region.
Germany, a non-permanent member of the Security Council, called for the meeting after the US recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara, international media reported, citing UN diplomats.
State members of the UN Security Council are yet to make a public announcement about the upcoming meeting.
The development comes after the US Representative to the UN, Kelly Craft, submitted the presidential proclamation recognizing Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara to the Security Council.
The submission was symbolic and does not carry any legal weight within the UN Security Council. However, it seems the change in US policy towards Western Sahara will lead to renewed discussions on the issue.
Read also: Western Sahara: UNSC Receives US Proclamation on Morocco’s Sovereignty
US President Donald Trump issued the proclamation on December 10. In the document, Trump recognizes “that the entire Western Sahara territory is part of the Kingdom of Morocco.”
The US president also attested that Morocco’s Autonomy Plan is “the only basis for a just and lasting solution to the dispute over the Western Sahara territory.”
As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, the US has enough weight to block any resolution on the Western Sahara issue that it deems unfit.
The US recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara represents one of the most important diplomatic breakthroughs for the country.
The UN’s official comment on the development was that the international body’s neutral position regarding Western Sahara remains “unchanged.”
However, it remains to be seen what the upcoming meeting will hold in terms of developments on the issue.
Some commentators believe that US support for Morocco’s territorial integrity could encourage other countries to take a similar step.
