Sahara Issue: U.S. Reiterates Support for Autonomy Plan, Deeming it ‘Serious, Credible and Realistic’

Last updated May 16, 2023

Washington – The United States on Monday reiterated its support for Morocco’s autonomy plan, deeming it “serious, credible and realistic” with a view to settling the regional conflict over the Moroccan Sahara.

Vedant Patel, the principal deputy spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, stated during his daily press briefing that “we continue to view Morocco’s autonomy plan as serious, as credible, as realistic”.

When asked about the Sunday phone discussion between the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, and the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Abroad, Nasser Bourita, Vedant stated, “There is no change in the U.S. position on this matter.”

Last March, Binken emphasized the U.S.’s steadfast position when he reaffirmed his nation’s support for Morocco’s autonomy plan in an effort to find a lasting political solution to the Sahara dispute under the auspices of the UN.

Blinken emphasized that the United States “continues” to view this idea as “serious, credible, and realistic” during discussions with his Moroccan counterpart in Washington.

The senior US diplomat recalled his nation’s “full support” for UN Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General Staffan de Mistura during a phone call with Bourita on Sunday.

The Biden administration cements a tradition in Washington by utilizing the voices of multiple senior U.S. officials to affirm the importance of the Moroccan autonomy proposal, which was put forth by the Kingdom in 2007, for the ultimate resolution of the fictitious battle over the Sahara.

Regardless of the political leanings of the White House administration, the United States has maintained its unwavering position in favor of the historic UN Security Council vote that will recognize Morocco’s full sovereignty over all of its territory, including its southern provinces, in 2020.