According to Jerome Sherman, a spokesperson for the US Embassy in Morocco, “the last year was one of the landmarks in the history of relations between the United States and the Kingdom of Morocco.”

According to the US official, relations between the US and Morocco are stronger than ever. “Morocco is a critical partner for America on a range of security issues, as it participates with us in more than 100 military exercises and activities annually, and is a key partner in Both international military education and training programs and foreign military sales programs,” the spokesperson adds.

The US official stated that his government is “committed to find a durable, just, and internationally endorsed solution to the Sahara problem,” emphasizing that the US considers Morocco’s autonomy plan to be serious, credible, and practical.

The US embassy also stated that “the United States welcomes Staffan de Mistura’s appointment as a personal envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, emphasizing that Washington will support his efforts to resolve this dispute.”

The American official expressed the United States’ support for the progress made in Moroccan-Israeli relations and expressed hope that the liaison offices will be converted into embassies in the near future, praising King Mohammed VI’s leadership in promoting religious tolerance and harmony, emphasizing that it sets an example for the region and the world.

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The United States reaffirmed its support for the Moroccan autonomy proposal on Monday, calling it a serious, genuine, and realistic solution to the regional dispute over the Sahara.

“We continue to consider Morocco’s autonomy plan as serious, credible and realistic,” said the spokesperson for the State Department, in a statement released after the meeting held in Washington between the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Residing Abroad, Mr. Nasser Bourita, and his American counterpart, Mr. Antony Blinken.

Furthermore, the two parties have voiced their support for the new Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Staffan de Mistura, in the conduct of the Sahara political process, which is being conducted out under the auspices of the United Nations.

During the discussion, the focus was also placed on the “extremely important” tripartite agreement reached by the US, Morocco, and Israel, which confirmed the US recognition of the Kingdom’s full sovereignty over the Sahara.

In this regard, Mr. Bourita and Blinken “welcomed the first anniversary of the Joint Declaration between Morocco, Israel and the United States, which will take place on December 22,” noted the spokesman for American diplomacy, recalling that the bilateral partnership “long-standing is rooted in common interests in regional peace, security and prosperity. “

The two parties also emphasized the necessity of Moroccan-Israeli relations continuing to deepen.

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United Nations – In his report to the UN General Assembly, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has once again unmasked the violations, lies and false allegations of Algeria and the “polisario” on the issue of the Moroccan Sahara, after doing so earlier this month in his report to the Security Council.

In this report, Guterres stresses that the issue of the Moroccan Sahara is considered by the UN as a matter of peace and security, thus as a regional dispute under Chapter VI of the UN Charter, relating to the peaceful settlement of disputes.

In addition, the UN Secretary General confirms, once again, that the final solution to the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara can only be political, realistic, pragmatic, sustainable and compromise, in accordance with Security Council resolutions 2440, 2468, 2494, 2548. It reaffirms, thus, the final burial of all obsolete plans supported only by Algeria and “polisario”, including the referendum.

Resolutions 2440, 2468, 2494 and 2548, to which the solution must be fully compliant according to the UN SG, and all those that preceded them since 2007, confirm the pre-eminence, seriousness and credibility of the Autonomy Initiative as the only solution to this regional dispute, within the framework of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom.

These resolutions also established the round table discussions, with the participation of Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and the “polisario” as the sole framework for conducting the exclusively UN political process aimed at achieving a political solution to this artificial conflict set up, nurtured and maintained by Algeria, which reaffirms, once again, the obligations of this country as a major stakeholder in the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara.

In his report, the UN SG confirms, moreover, that the armed elements of the “polisario” have indeed blocked the passage of Guergarat in October and November 2020, defeating the vain attempts of the “polisario” and Algeria to conceal this truth.

It is worth to mention that following the blockage by the armed separatist militias of the “polisario” for more than three weeks, the road passage of Guergarat, between the borders of Morocco and Mauritania, in October and November 2020, Morocco undertook, on November 13, 2020, a civil engineering action by which it restored, once and for all, the free movement of people and goods in this passage.

The peaceful aspect of this intervention of the Royal Armed Forces was noted in the report of the UN Secretary General who said “no casualties were reported to the Minurso in connection with the events of November 13,” which is a strong denial of the accusations of the “polisario”, whose armed elements fled the buffer zone of Guergarat, following the intervention of FAR, as confirmed by Guterres.

The UN Secretary General also highlighted, in this report, the Royal letter underlining the “irreversible” character of the peaceful actions carried out by Morocco at the border post of El Guerguarat to re-establish free civil and commercial circulation.

The report confirms that “Morocco has remained committed to the ceasefire,” while preserving its right to respond to any provocation by the “polisario” militias. The UN SG also drew the attention of the UN General Assembly to the illegal renunciation by the “polisario” of the ceasefire, in flagrant violation of the Security Council resolutions.

In addition, Guterres welcomed Morocco’s cooperation with MUNURSO, particularly through the vaccination, by the Moroccan authorities, of its personnel.

Also, this report is distinguished by highlighting the diplomatic achievements of the Kingdom in the Moroccan Sahara during the past year. In this context, the UN SG shed light on the historic inaugurations of Consulates General by 16 countries in the cities of Laayoune and Dakhla.

Guterres stressed, to this effect that “Bahrain, Burkina Faso, Eswatini, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Haiti, Jordan, Libya, Malawi, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Suriname, the United Arab Emirates and Zambia have announced their intention to inaugurate or have opened Consulates General in the Sahara”. These diplomatic representations follow the 10 consulates of African, Arab, Caribbean and other countries, opened in the cities of Laayoune and Dakhla for a total of 26 since December 2019, which illustrates the international and diplomatic recognition of the Moroccan Sahara.

The UN Secretary General also mentioned the historic proclamation, on December 10, 2020, by the United States, of the full and complete sovereignty of the Kingdom of Morocco over its Sahara.

Indeed, Guterres said that “the United States has recognized the Moroccan sovereignty over the entire territory of Western Sahara and reaffirmed its support for the serious, credible and realistic autonomy proposal of Morocco, as the only basis for a just and lasting solution to this conflict”. He also informed that on December 24, 2020, the United States announced the inauguration of a virtual consulate in the Sahara.

In addition, Guterres emphasized the economic and infrastructural development of the Moroccan Sahara, as well as the continuation of Moroccan investments in its southern provinces. He said in this regard that “on April 30, the Moroccan authorities announced the winning bid for the construction of the Atlantic port of Dakhla and that its construction is underway.

Similarly, Guterres noted the continuation of “construction work on a highway linking Tiznit to Dakhla”. Large-scale projects that several Arab countries were able to see during their on-site visit last June. Indeed, as evidenced by the Secretary-General in his report, “diplomatic delegations from Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Yemen” visited, on 24 and 26 June 2021, Dakhla and Laayoune to “explore investment opportunities in the Sahara”.

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United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sharply condemned the Polisario severe and unjustifiable restrictions on MINURSO after its unilateral withdrawal from the ceasefire in his report to the Security Council on the Moroccan Sahara issue.

The “Polisario” is criticized in the report for obstructing (MINURSO capacity)’s to carry out its major job of supervising the ceasefire and monitoring the militias of this armed group, as well as the situation on the ground.

Mr. Guterres called the Security Council’s attention to the fact that his Special Representative and MINURSO Head have consistently criticized these limits.

Despite these protests, the “Polisario” continued to impose severe restrictions on MINURSO’s freedom of movement, preventing it from carrying out logistical and other maintenance tasks, affecting equipment repair and maintenance, as well as the supply of fuel and food to the UN Mission, forcing the situation (MINURSO) to reduce the number of its military obsessives.

The separatist movement was also urged by the United Nations Secretary-General to “immediately lift all restrictions imposed on the freedom of movement of land convoys, air transport, and (MINURSO) personnel located in the east of the defense system, as well as to allow freedom of movement for logistics and maintenance.”

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The appointment of Italian diplomat Staffan de Mistura as the UN special envoy for the Sahara file was welcomed by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken today, Thursday.

“I welcome the announcement of the new United Nations Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura. The United States fully supports the @UN-led political process in Western Sahara to promote a peaceful and prosperous future for the people of the region”. Blinken wrote in a tweet.

I welcome the announcement of the new United Nations Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura. The United States fully supports the @UN-led political process in Western Sahara to promote a peaceful and prosperous future for the people of the region.

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) October 6, 2021

Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, has named Staffan de Mistura as his personal envoy on the Sahara case, succeeding Horst Koehler, who left more than two years ago.

Last December, it was reported that former US President Donald Trump had signed a statement recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara.

“Today I signed a declaration recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara,” Trump tweeted.

“Morocco’s serious and realistic autonomy proposal is the only basis for a decent and enduring solution to ensure lasting peace and prosperity!” Trump continued.

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In his report to the Security Council on the Moroccan Sahara, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated his call for improved relations between Morocco and Algeria, following Algeria’s unilateral decision to sever diplomatic relations with the Kingdom.

Mr. Guterres stated that Algeria “announced the severance of its relations with Morocco” on August 24, 2021, and that “the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on the same day, taking note of the Algerian authorities’ decision to sever diplomatic relations with Morocco, and regretting this completely unjustified decision.”

In this regard, the UN Secretary-General expressed his concern about the deterioration of relations between Morocco and Algeria, in his report, which threatens to derail the political process aimed at resolving the regional conflict over the Moroccan Sahara.

Mr. Guterres “encouraged the two neighboring countries to find a way forward to repair their relations, including in support of regional cooperation, peace, and security in the region,” a position that Morocco has long advocated, despite Algerian authorities’ hostile approach, which rejects both Morocco’s outstretched hand and any mediation.

It should be noted that the UN Secretary General’s official had commented on Algeria’s unilateral decision on two occasions, encouraging the two neighbors to address their concerns through negotiation.

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Mr. António Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, has submitted an advance version of his annual report on Moroccan Sahara to the Security Council, which covers the period from the beginning September 2020 to 31 August 2021.

The current report is being submitted in the light of the Moroccan Sahara case in October and the approval of extending the MINURSO’s mandate, which Mr. Guterres advocated for a one-year extension.

The report emphasizes the Kingdom’s diplomatic successes in Moroccan Sahara throughout the previous year.

In this context, the UN Secretary-General praised the historic establishment of consulates general in the cities of Laayoune and Dakhla by 16 countries.

Bahrain, Burkina Faso, Eswatini, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Jordan, Libya, Malawi, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Suriname, the United Arab Emirates, and Zambia have all stated their intention to open or establish consulates general in the Sahara.

Since December 2019, these diplomatic representations have been added to the 10 African, Arab, Caribbean, and other States consulates in Laayoune, bringing the overall number of consulates to 26. This indicates the Moroccan Sahara’s international and diplomatic recognition.

The United Nations Secretary-General also mentioned the United States’ historic declaration on June 10, 2020, recognizing the Kingdom of Morocco’s full and complete sovereignty over its desert.

In fact, Mr. Guterres said “The United States has acknowledged Moroccan sovereignty over the entire territory of Western Sahara and reaffirmed its support for the Moroccan proposal for serious, genuine, and practical self-government as the only basis for a reasonable and enduring solution to this conflict,”.

He also mentioned that the US had constructed a virtual embassy in the Sahara in 2020.

Mr. Guterres also emphasized on Moroccan Sahara’s economic development and infrastructure, as well as Morocco’s continuous investments in the southern provinces.

Indeed, the United Nations Secretary-General stated that “on 30 April, Moroccan authorities declared the winner of the request for offers for the development of the Atlantic Port of Dakhla and that work on this project is underway.”

With a budget of 12.4 billion dirhams, the new deep-water port is among the most expensive ever built in Morocco. The completion of this project will allow the southern regions to experience a surge in economic activity.

Mr. Guterres also mentioned the “building of an automobile route connecting Tiznit to Dakhla,” which is one of the major projects that numerous Arab countries’ missions learned about during their June field visit.

On the 24th and 26th of June 2021, “diplomatic delegations from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen” visited the cities of Dakhla and Laayoune to “explore investment opportunities in the Sahara,” according to the Secretary-General’s report.

This is the fourth year in a row that the United Nations Secretary-General has mentioned Moroccan investments in the Sahara.

In his reports from 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2020, the UN Secretary-General dedicated numerous lines to Morocco’s social and economic progress and investments in the Sahara, of which “the local community would be the principal beneficiaries.”

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