The United States has urged Algeria to resolutely support the efforts of Staffan de Mistura, the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General’s special envoy for Western Sahara, to deepen negotiations on the Saharawi dispute.

in this sense, Wendy Sherman, US Undersecretary of State, spoke with Ahmed Attaf, Algerian Foreign Minister, and there were calls for greater Algerian involvement in the issue of Western Sahara to reach an agreement between the opposing sides, because the role of the Maghreb state is also relevant in this regard.

The latest UN resolution states that Algeria should contribute more to a UN-led political negotiation process to end the dispute over Western Sahara. In this regard, the work of special envoy Staffan de Mistura stands out and is praised by the parties involved. De Mistura recently held informal bilateral consultations with representatives from Algeria, Mauritania and members of the “Group of Friends”, including Spain, the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom and France. That is, with all parties that have something to do with the Saharawi question. The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, received his personal envoy to Western Sahara to discuss the results of the talks, as noted by the UN’s Department of Political Affairs and Peace Building (DPPA). Several dialogues were held a few weeks ago with the aim of ending the conflict that has lasted more than four decades.

The US recommendation to the Algerian state seeks to prevent Algeria from continuing to avoid some of its responsibilities in the Sahara dispute and it came after a phone call between Deputy Foreign Minister, Wendy Sherman, and Algerian Foreign Minister, Ahmed Attaf.

According to a statement from the Department of Foreign Affairs, The US diplomat also congratulated Algeria on her election to the UN Security Council and highlighted the need to address the “multiple challenges” facing the UN-led process for Western Sahara. It also includes the fact of showing “full support to the UN Secretary-General’s personal envoy for the Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, while intensifying efforts to reach a lasting and dignified political solution for Western Sahara”, as the official note indicates.

Algeria is a very important part of the political process regarding Western Sahara because it supports the Polisario Front, a separatist political-military entity that advocates holding a referendum on independence for the Saharawi population. The opposing option is defended by Morocco, which claims the region as part of the Kingdom. The state of Morocco proposed a broad autonomy formula for Western Sahara under its sovereignty, respecting UN resolutions.

Appropriately, The Moroccan proposal has great international support from countries such as the United States, Germany, the United Arab Emirates and even Spain, previous colonial powers in the region, who saw the Moroccan alternative as the most serious, credible and realistic way to solve the problem. All this, while the Front Polisario option lacks international support.

The Kingdom of Morocco recently raised the main points of its project for Western Sahara. The Moroccan plan respects UN resolutions on the Saharawi issue and the Moroccan spirit in this sense seeks to create conditions for a process of dialogue and negotiation leading to a mutually acceptable political solution. Morocco offers a detailed program of key points explaining the North African country’s project and how the Autonomy Statute will be implemented in Western Sahara, respecting the rights of residents of the region, developing the economic and investment environment and respecting administrative management. and characteristics of regional justice in the Moroccan state system.

For his part, Algeria has indicated at various times that it is only an observer actor in the situation, although it has been pointed out from various sectors that it is a very prominent actor in the Saharawi issue due to its involvement with the Polisario Front, and has rejected it. the invitation of several UN envoys to participate in the round table with the rest of the parties involved, as reported by various media such as Morocco World News.

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