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Rabat – The US has reaffirmed its steadfast position on Western Sahara, stressing the centrality of the Moroccan Autonomy Plan as the only basis for negotiations to end the dispute.
The US conveyed its position at the UN Security Council (UNSC) briefing on reaffirming the international rule of law earlier this week.
Ambassador Tammy Bruce, Deputy Representative, recalled the US-penned Resolution 2797 on Western Sahara adopted in October last year, saying that it resulted in the Council “voicing strong support for negotiations to reach a usually acceptable resolution.”
She said the resolution should be based on Morocco’s credible and realistic autonomy proposal.
Eleven countries voted on Resolution 2797, a historic milestone in the Sahara dossier — cementing Morocco’s momentum and diplomatic gains.
The resolution publicly recalled the growing cohort of international support for Morocco’s autonomy initiative. As many as 120 countries, including permanent UNSC members in addition to the US, like the UK and France, embraced the Moroccan autonomy initiative as the only or the most credible basis for a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution.
The resolution dealt the Algerian regime a severe blow as it explicitly named Algeria as a main party to the dispute, urging it to engage in the UN-led political process to find a mutually acceptable and an agreed upon political solution.
It also shattered Algeria’s unproductive attempts to distance itself from the dispute despite hosting, financing, harboring, and arming the Polisario Front – a separatist group claiming independence in Western Sahara.
Despite the adoption of the resolution, Algeria’s regime continues to describe itself as a mere observer and a “concerned” neighbor.
The US position reaffirmation came a few days ahead of senior Middle East advisor Massad Boulos’ visit to Algeria as part of an official working trip aimed to bolster Algiers-Washington relations.
The visit is also part of Boulos’ efforts to mend ties between Morocco and Algeria.
Algeria’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said the meeting served to discuss several international developments, including the Western Sahara.
The US official has been rallying to contribute to resolving the long-standing crisis between Rabat and Algiers, as well as the dispute over the Sahara, reiterating his country’s support for the Autonomy initiative as the only feasible political solution to end the dispute.
It remains to be seen whether Boulos’ diplomatic quest will end up with a happy-ever-after ending to the lingering Algiers-Rabat crisis, and whether he will convince Algeria to engage in the UN-led political process unconditionally, aligning with the recent developments away from its outdated narratives.
