Rabat – UN Secretary-General Personal Envoy for Western Sahara Steffan de Mistura is planning a new regional tour, during which he will meet with parties involved in the Western Sahara dispute.
De Mistura told AFP on Wednesday that the visit will be “soon, I hope.”
He commented on the closed-door meeting the Security Council held in New York yesterday, saying that all members of the UN body renewed the “same positions” on the dispute.
Continued stagnation
In its resolutions, the UN Security Council has been calling for a shared commitment from all parties to the Western Sahara dispute to find an agreed-upon and mutually acceptable solution to end the four-decade-long conflict.
The parties to the dispute include Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, and the Polisario Front. The UN-led political process has witnessed a political stagnation due to Algeria and Polisario’s rejection in contributing to efforts seeking to put an end to the regional dispute.
In 2020, Polisario announced the collapse of the 1991 ceasefire, announcing a “war” against Morocco’s military. Algeria, which supports the Polisario Front, backs Polisario’s war claims.
The Algerian regime cemented its rejection to take part in the UN-led political process, particularly after Morocco’s recent diplomatic gains.
In October 2021, the Algerian government described UN Resolution 2602 as “irresponsible, partial, and unbalanced.”
The resolution, adopted by the UN Security Council in October 2021, extended the mandate of peacekeeping operation MINURSO to one year, and reiterated the viability of the serious and credible Autonomy Plan as a basis to resolve the Western Sahara conflict.
In response to the adoption of the resolution, Algeria said it “expresses its deep regret to the fundamentally unbalanced approach enshrined in this text, which sorely lacks responsibility and lucidity due to the unfortunate forcing of some of the influential members of the said Council.”
Algeria’s decision to escalate tension is also one of the factors, that stagnate the UN-led political process. In August 2021, Algeria decided to cut relations with Morocco, accusing the North African country of hostility against its security and stability.
The accusations came days after Morocco offered to help the Algerian regime with firefighting jets following wildfires in the Kabylia region.
Morocco regretted Algeria’s unilateral decision and rejected the falsified claims and accusations against it.
With all developments ongoing, it remains to be seen whether de Mistura will be able to convene the parties to the dispute for talks anytime soon.
The UN appointed de Mistura last year, nearly three years after the resignation of former UN Secretary-General Personal Envoy Horst Kohler.
De Mistura carried out his first tour to the region in January, when he met a Moroccan delegation in Rabat.
During the visit, the Moroccan delegation reiterated its commitment to the UN-led political process to achieve a lasting solution to the dispute.
Morocco also recalled the fundamentals of Morocco’s position, citing King Mohammed VI’s speeches on the 45th and 46th anniversaries of the Green March.
In the speeches, the King of Morocco renewed his country’s commitment to cooperate with the UN within the framework of the “relevant Security resolutions so as to achieve a final solution based on the Autonomy Initiative.”
“Morocco will not waiver in its position. Nor will it be affected, in any way, by the useless provocations and desperate scenes of the other parties, which attest to a headlong rush, now that their outdated claims have failed,” King Mohammed VI said in his speech at the 45th anniversary of the Green March.
Morocco continues to achieve diplomatic gains. In March, Spain officially endorsed Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as the “most serious and credible” basis to resolve the dispute. A few days after Spain, France issued a communique in which it renewed its support for Morocco’s autonomy initiative.
Earlier this year, Germany also issued a series of statements, celebrating Morocco’s Autonomy Plan for Western Sahara.
