Rabat – The United Nations General Assembly said it will hold a plenary meeting on November 10 to discuss the situation concerning Western Sahara following the use of vetoes by Russia and the US during the Security Council meeting on October 30.
In a letter dated November 2, the UN General Assembly informed all permanent representatives and observers that the meeting would take place at 10 a.m. at UN Headquarters in New York, under agenda item 62, “Use of the veto.”
The meeting follows an unprecedented standoff at the Security Council, where Russia vetoed a US-drafted resolution on October 30 that sought to renew the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), while introducing changes to its mandate and future role.
The US proposal received 11 votes in favor, one against and three abstentions. A competing Russian draft calling for a straightforward one-year extension of MINURSO’s mandate also failed to secure the required support after a US veto.
The meeting is being convened under General Assembly Resolution 76/262, adopted in April 2022, which requires the Assembly to meet within 10 working days whenever a permanent member of the Security Council exercises its veto.
Commonly known as the Veto Initiative, the solution gives all 193 UN member states an opportunity to discuss the circumstances and implications of a veto.
US Proposal sought changes to MINURSO
The US-drafted resolution proposed extending MINURSO’s mandate until October 31, 2027, while renaming it the UN Mission in Western Sahara (MINUSO), removing the reference to a referendum from its name.
The proposal also placed Morocco’s Autonomy Plan at the center of negotiations, describing it as the only basis for further discussions and autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty as the most feasible solution to the dispute.
The draft called for renewed negotiations involving Morocco, the Polisario Front, Algeria, and Mauritania, building on discussions facilitated by the United States and the UN earlier this year.
It also requested the UN Secretary-General to submit proposals by January 30, 2027, on the mission’s future structure, staffing, and resources, including possible adjustments to its military presence. Another provision called on the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to complete the registration of the refugee population in the Tindouf camps within six months.
Washington argued that the changes were necessary to address the mission’s longstanding inability to organize the referendum originally envisaged when it was established in 1991.
US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said the mission had not been preparing for a referendum for decades, arguing that maintaining the existing framework would preserve a political stalemate. He also said the US proposal supported the principle of self-determination and sought to move the decades-long conflict toward a negotiated settlement.
Russia vetoes proposal
Russia opposed the US proposal, arguing that it risked prejudging the outcome of negotiations and undermining the UN framework for resolving the dispute. Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said the Security Council should not automatically predetermine questions relating to sovereignty, criticizing the draft’s emphasis on Morocco’s Autonomy Plan.
Moscow also opposed changing MINURSO’s name and mandate, saying the move could undermine confidence in the political process and the mission’s role.
Following its veto of the US proposal, Russia introduced an alternative draft calling for a straightforward one-year extension of MINURSO’s mandate, without changing its name or responsibilities.
The Russian proposal received three votes in favor, one against from the US, and 11 abstentions, falling short of the nine votes required for adoption.
The US representative said the Russian draft would maintain the status quo and fail to address the mission’s inability to organize a referendum.
Morocco’s Royal Cabinet welcomed the failure to renew MINURSO’s mandate, describing the development as an important step toward bringing the Western Sahara issue to a definitive conclusion at the United Nations.
The Royal Cabinet said the UN political process had been marked by other parties’ procrastination and insistence on maintaining a deadlock. The statement said the non-renewal of the mandate meant that MINURSO’s presence in Morocco’s southern provinces in Western Sahara should come to an end in the coming days, including the withdrawal of its personnel, equipment, and vehicles.
