The United States reiterated its support for the Moroccan proposal on Tuesday to grant the Sahara an autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty, affirming that it is the “serious and unique framework” to resolve this conflict of several decades.
This declaration comes within the framework of an official meeting between the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita in Washington.
A constant position
The assertion of the support of the administration of President Joe Biden to the Moroccan proposal perpetuates a diplomatic approach initiated by the administration of former president Donald Trump in December 2020, when she first recognized Morocco’s sovereignty, and since then, Washington has not returned to this recognition, despite the pressures exerted by the parties supporting the Polisario Front.
Autonomy: a realistic proposal?
The Moroccan proposal, subject to the United Nations in 2007, plans to grant the Sahrawi population an extended autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty, while managing its local affairs through elected institutions, in exchange for the management by Morocco of foreign, defense and security policy.
Washington, as his Secretary of State said, considers this proposal as “realistic and credible”, stressing the need to adopt it as the only basis of negotiation.
Regional repercussions
The American position places Algeria, the main support of the Polisario Front, in a delicate diplomatic situation.
While Russia and South Africa support the right of Sahrawis to self-determination, the United States, as well as France and Spain, advocate a settlement based on political realism.
The UN between the process and diplomacy
This development comes at a time when the United Nations endeavors to relaunch the negotiation process that is deadlocked, its personal envoy for the Sahara, staff of Mistura, striving to organize a new cycle of consultations involving Morocco, Polisario, Algeria and Mauritania.
However, the absence of clear international consensus on the nature of the solution remains the main obstacle to any real advance in this file.
The renewed support of the United States to the Moroccanity of the Sahara represents a major diplomatic gain for Rabat and reflects an international trend towards pragmatic solutions to post-cold conflicts.
However, the political and military situation remains as it is, leaving the conflict open to all the possibilities, pending the results of the next cycles of negotiations.
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