The US State Department has debunked claims touted by Algeria’s regime affiliated media and Polisario during the visit of US ambassador to Algiers Elizabeth Moore Aubin to Tindouf.
Last week, a group of Algerian media – including those affiliated to Algeria’s regime – claimed that the ambassador carried out bilateral engagement with members of the separatist group during her visit to Tindouf.
The claims were soon disproved by the US State Department, which emphasized that Aubin’s visit was part of a UN-organized visit to Tindouf.
State Department spokesperson, Matthew Miller debunked the misinformation on Monday, stressing that the US is the largest contributor worldwide to international humanitarian efforts, “including through our support for the vital work of UN agencies in Tindouf.”
“There was no bilateral engagement with the Polisario during the UN donor visit,” he added in a press briefing.
The remarks come as a new setback to pro-Polisario advocates, including Algeria’s regime, which have been lobbying to push Biden to reverse the US recognition of Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over its southern provinces in Western Sahara.
In response to the anti-Morocco campaign, the spokesperson reiterated the US’ unchanged position on Western Sahara, stressing that Washington continues to support the UN-led political process, seeking to find a mutually acceptable political solution to end the dispute over Western Sahara.
“We fully support the UN personal envoy of the secretary-general, as he intensifies the UN-led political process on Western Sahara to advance an enduring and dignified solution without further delay,” he said.
The US spokesperson also emphasized the US’ position, viewing Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as a ‘serious, credible, and realistic,’ resolution to end the dispute.
The US recognized Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over Western Sahara on December 10, 2020. Former US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation that officialized Washington’s endorsement of Morocco’s autonomy initiative as the basis for a just and lasting solution to the decades-long dispute over the territory.
“The United States believes that an independent Sahrawi State is not a realistic option for resolving the conflict and that genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the only feasible solution,” the proclamation reads.
