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Rabat – The United Nations has found itself marred in controversy after its envoy Staffan de Mistura brought up a decades-old rejected partition plan from 2002, originally proposed by former envoy James Baker at the suggestion of Algeria’s regime.
The controversial partition plan left the UN unable to adequately address pressing questions from both reporters as well as Moroccan officials.
De Mistura’s proposal raised eyebrows, in which he claimed that a partition plan for Western Sahara could “allow for the creation on the one hand of an independent state in the southern parts and on the other hand the integration of the rest of the territory as part of Morocco with its sovereignty over its internationally recognized.”
He made his remarks in a closed briefing at the UN Security Council last week.
Morocco responded to the claims, stressing that its cause is non-negotiable – further calling on de Mistura to reveal the source behind the “already dead” partition suggestion.
On Tuesday, Moroccan Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Bourita stated, “Just as we rejected the initial proposal from James Baker in 2002, we have not given any attention to what appears to us to be reheated ideas.”
“What Staffan de Mistura needed to clarify is the source that has once again suggested this idea. He should have specified which parties are behind this proposal and why it was put back on the table last April, following what logic and what ulterior motives,” Bourita declared.
UN Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq received questions on Tuesday about Bourita’s recent remarks, but has failed to adequately respond to Morocco’s demand for clarification.
Instead, the UN conveyed Personal Envoy Staffan de Mistura’s request for further elaboration on Morocco’s Autonomy Plan, a political initiative proposed in 2007 that has garnered significant support from the international community.
Many countries have been renewing their support for the plan, some describing it as a solid basis to end the dispute, while others are labeling it the most credible political solution capable of resolving the longstanding dispute over Western Sahara.
In the context of the origin of de Mistura’s controversial proposal, Haq said that it came up as part of regular consultations between the envoy and all concerned in the Security Council.
“That was last week, this idea, based on an agreement between Morocco and Mauritania in 1975, was raised by then-Algerian president Bouteflika, and presented by Personal Envoy James Baker to the Security Council in 2002,” he said.
The spokesman added that the envoy proposed this option, but that both Morocco and the Polisario Front have since rejected it.
“He [de Mistura] said that he had reminded the parties of the call on them by the Council to expand on their positions. In this spirit, his message to the Council was that the time had come for Morocco to explain and expand on their 2007 autonomy proposal,” Haq added.
Bourita renewed Morocco’s position on Tuesday, stressing that the autonomy proposal under Moroccan society is a “conclusion and not a starting point for any negotiation.”
However, the UN spokesperson did not specify what aspects de Mistura was referring to that Morocco should elaborate on regarding its autonomy initiative.
The North African kingdom has frequently highlighted the positive aspects and viability of the proposal, which aims to establish a semi-autonomous region under Moroccan sovereignty.
The plan, which now holds support of over 100 countries, seeks to empower local populations to take full ownership of their social, economic and political affairs, while defense and diplomacy would remain the responsibility of the central Moroccan government.
The envoy’s remarks indicate a lingering deadlock, with de Mistura unable to bring the four parties to the dispute together for roundtable discussions, as recommended in latest resolutions including Resolution 2703 adopted in October 2023.
This resolution explicitly called on all parties to engage in constructive dialogue, including Algeria – urging it to assume its political, legal, and moral responsibility in the search for a definitive solution to the Western Sahara dispute.
However, the comments by the UN spokesperson further suggest that a viable solution is still far from reach, highlighting the failure to address Algeria’s reluctance to participate in the UN-led political process.
Amid these developments and Algeria’s ongoing reluctance, Morocco remains steadfast in its position that its sovereignty over its southern provinces is non-negotiable.
“Moroccan Sahara has never been and will never be subject of any compromise or even discussion,” Bourita has affirmed.
