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Rabat – Against the background of reports suggesting Algeria has welcomed UN Resolution 2797, the Algerian regime continues to reiterate its position, seeking to hamper the UN-led political process on Western Sahara.
An Algerian delegation reiterated Algiers’ position in Managua, reaffirming its “consistent, coherent, and law-based position on the matter” during a UN regional seminar held from May 25–27.
Algeria’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, Toufik Koudri, led the delegation, which, according to a report, “rejected… what it described as false allegations and misleading interpretations put forward by Morocco, particularly in light of recent developments in the Sahara issue.”
The report added that Koudri reiterated Algeria’s position, stating his country welcomed the resumption of direct talks between the “two parties” to the dispute, referring to Morocco and Polisario, while distancing Algiers in line with the regime’s approach of refusing to shoulder responsibility in the dispute.
“Algeria has always advocated for direct negotiations between the two sides,” Koudri said.
Recalling the outdated narrative of self-determination, the Algerian representative alleged that Algeria remains committed to supporting “sincere efforts” to achieve a “peaceful, just, lasting and mutually acceptable solution.”
Koudri’s allegations complement similar remarks made by the country’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Ahmed Attaf.
Attaf’s remarks sparked a division in interpreting the speech, with some stating Algeria welcomed Resolution 2797—thus ending its stubbornness and outdated narratives.
The UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2797 last year in October, ending ambiguity and recognizing Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as the genuine political framework under which the parties to the dispute—all of them—discuss a mutually acceptable political resolution. The resolution came as a breakthrough in support of Morocco’s position, as the Autonomy Plan is the only viable and legitimate framework for discussions.
Algeria’s regime, however, challenged the resolution, which called on the country to engage in talks and discussions contributing to the UN-led political process.
Defying the resolution, which defined the parties as Morocco, Algeria, Polisario, and Mauritania, the Algerian regime continues to claim it is merely an observer or a neighbouring country to the dispute.
This comes as a clear challenge to US efforts in bringing together all parties to the dispute around one table of negotiations, with Attaf again claiming his country is merely an observer. Algeria has for decades hosted, financed, and supported Polisario’s independence claims to challenge Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over its southern provinces.
Some critics interpreted Attaf’s remark as an attempt to save face, especially amid further isolation and Morocco’s gains and momentum in the dossier.
Other observers, however, see Attaf’s remarks as another attempt to show that Algeria is not losing hope of getting back into the game and continuing its role in prolonging the dispute to serve its agendas, especially as Morocco continues to strengthen its regional and international posture at all levels.
What the Algerian regime, however, is failing to notice is the international consensus that it is now time to wrap up and end the dispute, especially after alarming concerns over Polisario’s security threats and terrorist acts challenging not only Morocco’s territorial integrity but also the region’s safety and stability.
Following Polisario’s Es-Smara attack on May 5, many countries expressed concerns over the attack, stressing the importance of resolving the Western Sahara dispute.
US Ambassador Duke Buchan III reiterated US support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan recently and recalled Polisario’s attack, which drew “resounding international condemnation.”
The US Mission to the UN also condemned the attack, emphasizing that “the time to end this 50-year-old dispute is now.”
Morocco’s ambassador and permanent representative to the UN, Omar Hilale, emphasized that the time for Algeria’s political maneuvering and outdated ideological speeches is over.
Hilale made his remarks during the same UN Committee of 24 held in Nicaragua, where Koudri made his claims.
The Moroccan ambassador stressed that the Sahara issue should no longer be part of the UN Committee of 24.
UN Security Council Resolution 2797 reinforced Morocco’s Autonomy Plan under Moroccan sovereignty as “the only serious and credible basis” for reaching a final political solution to the dispute, he said.
He added that the resolution also reaffirmed the responsibility of the four parties involved in the political process: Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, and the Polisario Front.
