Sahara: Security Council optimistic about resumption of political process with new personal envoy

The UN Security Council (UNSC) held this week closed-door consultations on the Moroccan Sahara issue, during which the Council members were briefed by Martha Pobee, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the Departments of Political Affairs and Peace Operations, and Alexander Ivanko, UN Secretary General’s Secial Representative and Head of MINURSO.

According to diplomatic sources, discussions were held in a serene, calm and dispassionate atmosphere, marked by general optimism that the roundtable process will resume soon following the recent appointment of Staffan de Mistura as UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for the Sahara.

UNSC members called upon de Mistura to resume the political process where his predecessor left off as soon as possible.

The UN Security Council’s latest resolutions have established roundtables with the participation of Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and the polisario as the only framework to achieve a political, realistic, pragmatic, sustainable and compromise solution to this regional dispute.

During these consultations, the Autonomy Plan, proposed by Morocco in 2007, was once again considered a serious and credible proposal to reach a solution to this dispute.

Several member states welcomed Morocco’s continued commitment to the cease-fire, as well as its full cooperation with MINURSO in the implementation of its ceasefire monitoring mandate, expressing, as did the UN Chief in his recent report, their appreciation for Morocco’s vaccination of MINURSO personnel against Covid-19.

Interacting with the UN Secretary-General’s recommendations, Security Council members called for the lifting of all restrictions imposed by the polisario on MINURSO in the east side of the defense berm.