Rabat – A high-level delegation from the United States Embassy in Rabat is reportedly arriving in the southern Moroccan city of Laayoune on Monday to engage with officials from the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).
According to converging reports, the delegation comprises diplomats and a military attaché. They are set to commence their visit with a meeting with Alexander Ivanko, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and head of MINURSO.
Subsequent discussions are reportedly scheduled with General Fakhr Al Ihsan, the mission’s military commander, to assess the challenges faced by peacekeepers, particularly in light of the Polisario Front’s 2020 resumption of hostilities and subsequent ceasefire violations.
The visit aligns with the United States’ reaffirmed support for Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara. President Donald Trump recently reiterated this stance, endorsing Morocco’s autonomy plan as the “only viable solution” to the territorial dispute.
In a message to King Mohammed VI on the 26th anniversary of the Throne Day, Trump reaffirmed that “the United States of America recognizes Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara, and supports Morocco’s autonomy proposal, serious, credible and realistic, as the only basis for a just and lasting settlement of this dispute.”
“I look forward to continuing our collaboration to promote regional stability, security, and peace,” the US president added.
This position has garnered backing from several Western nations, including the UK, France, and Spain, in addition to several African countries.
The US delegation’s visit occurs amid a broader international shift, with Morocco’s Autonomy Plan enjoying international momentum. Notably, Panama has reversed its previous recognition of the self-styled Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, now supporting Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara.
The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to review the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) on October 31.
In the most recent extension, the Security Council emphasized the need to achieve a realistic, practicable, enduring, and mutually acceptable political solution to the conflict in Western Sahara. The Council also expressed support for the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, and his efforts to advance a political solution.
