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Rabat – The US has reiterated its consistent position in support of Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over its southern provinces in Western Sahara.
Senior Advisor to the President of the US, Massad Boulos, renewed the same position during his meeting with the UN Secretary General Envoy for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, on Thursday.
The meeting, one the sidelines of the ongoing UN General Assembly in New York, is part of a series of interactions with stakeholders and main parties to the Western Sahara dispute. The talks come a month before the UN Security Council vote on a new resolution that will extend the mandate of the peacekeeping operation MINURSO in Western Sahara.
“This time we discussed the MINURSO renewal,” Boulos said.
He also stated that the meeting served as a platform where he renewed the US steadfast position “that genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the only basis for a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable solution for Western Sahara that will bring prosperity, peace, and stability to the region.”
The US position, which aligns with growing international consensus in support of Morocco’s Autonomy Plan, comes amid the anti-Morocco campaign run by Algeria’s regime, which continues to challenge Rabat’s territorial integrity.
The Algerian regime, in addition to South Africa and a group of advocates, who lack a comprehensive understanding of the dispute, have been pushing for a reversal of the US position on Western Sahara.
However, the US administration has been reaffirming its consistent responses that Washington’s policy remains unchanged.
Boulos recently made the same position clear in Algeria, where he stressed that Morocco’s autonomy plan is the only viable solution to end the dispute.
In a meeting with Morocco’s Foreign Affairs Minister in April, Secretary Marco Rubio repeated the same, saying that “genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the only feasible solution.” He also urged all parties to the dispute to engage in discussions without delay, using Morocco’s proposal as the only framework to negotiate a mutually acceptable solution.
His remarks refer to Algeria’s reluctance to engage in the UN-led political process as it refuses to shoulder its responsibilities in the dispute.
Now, outside the diplomatic sphere, the US is further extending its economic support, encouraging investment in Morocco’s southern provinces.
On Thursday, US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said that Washington is working on increasing investment in the region.
“The United States has recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara, and as part of the Trump administration’s global initiatives to promote economic and trade diplomacy,” he told reporters.
In August, converging reports said the US is preparing to invest $5 billion to support the socio-economic development in Morocco’s southern provinces.
The African Intelligence reported that “the possibility for American companies to invest in Western Sahara is expected to be eased by Donald Trump.”
It added that the US Development Finance Corporation received a green light from Washington to fund and identify promising projects in the region.
