The international movement on the Western Sahara issue continues after the issuance of Security Council Resolution 2797, as Staffan de Mistura, the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, confirmed that he is “eagerly awaiting” the updated version of the Moroccan autonomy proposal, considering it the realistic basis on which the next negotiating process between the parties will be built.
This international stance comes at a delicate political moment, following the Security Council’s adoption of the American draft resolution supporting the Rabat Plan presented in 2007, which De Mistura described as “a new international momentum and a clear will to find a lasting settlement to this conflict that has lasted for five decades.”
Observers believe that de Mistura’s statements reflect the United Nations’ shift from a phase of “positive appreciation” of the Moroccan initiative to a phase of procedural activation of it, as the sole framework for future negotiations.
In this context, international relations expert Taj El-Din Al-Husseini confirms that what is happening today practically falls within the framework of implementing the Security Council resolution.
Al-Husseini explains in a statement to Hespress: “They naturally entered into practical procedures to implement the Security Council resolution… Despite what the Algerian side might say regarding the details of the plan or the content of the Security Council resolution, I believe that this content is clear and unambiguous, as the word autonomy was mentioned at least five times and linked to every process undertaken by the parties.” He adds that the resolution stipulates that future negotiations must take place “within the framework of implementing autonomy,” and that any proposals or additions from the parties will be welcome only if they respect this framework.
The same expert continues: “The first stage will involve asking Morocco to provide supplementary details of its autonomy plan, which it had previously submitted in 2007… The Kingdom will be given a specific deadline to submit this detailed document, and then De Mistura will be obliged to reconnect the parties through shuttle visits that pave the way for a return to the negotiating table,” recalling that the resolution identified four parties directly involved in the negotiations: Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, and the Polisario Front, which revives the “roundtable” format that Morocco previously advocated.
For his part, international relations researcher Lahcen Akartit believes that de Mistura’s statements are not merely a protocol declaration, but rather a clear political translation of the content of UN Resolution 2797.
Aqartit stated to Hespress: “De Mistura’s statement comes after the adoption of Resolution 2797, which sets the general framework for the upcoming negotiations, and his request for Morocco to submit its autonomy proposal is a translation of international legitimacy with regard to the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Morocco over its territories.”
The same spokesperson adds that this statement “ends an entire chapter of negotiations that remained trapped in contradictory initiatives between Morocco and the Polisario Front, which is supported by Algeria, and opens a new chapter in which autonomy is the only political basis for ending this fabricated conflict.”
The same researcher points out that “the United Nations considers that there is a historic opportunity and international momentum to finally close this file, especially after the UN resolution explicitly confirmed that Algeria is a key party that bears the political and historical responsibility for facilitating an agreement.”
Aqartit concludes: “This statement constitutes an objective fact that the parties to the conflict should react to positively, and it adds to the American mediation proposal between Morocco and Algeria to find a political solution within the framework of the autonomy initiative and under Moroccan sovereignty over the southern provinces.”
