Sahara: Washington Reaffirms Support to Morocco’s “Serious, Credible & Realistic” Autonomy Plan

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman has reaffirmed Washington’s supportive stand to the autonomy plan offered by Morocco for a lasting resolution to the Sahara regional conflict.

“The United States continues to deem the Moroccan autonomy plan as serious, credible and realistic, and as an approach that can meet the aspirations of the people of the region,” said in Rabat Mrs. Sherman, who started Tuesday a two-day working visit to the North African Kingdom.

She met the same day Foreign minister Nasser Bourita and co-chaired with him the Moroccan-U.S. strategic dialogue on regional political issues. The two parties voiced, on this occasion, “firm support” to the UN Sahara envoy Staffan de Mistura in the UN-led political process on the Sahara, said a joint statement.

The Moroccan-US strategic dialogue on regional political issues was an opportunity for the U.S. and Morocco to review a series of issues of common interest, including cooperation in the field of security and human rights, and to discuss regional issues related to the Sahel, Libya and Ukraine.

Bourita and Sherman cited the Joint Declaration, signed in 2020 by Morocco, the U.S. and Israel, enshrining the American recognition of Morocco’s full sovereignty over its entire Sahara territory. They also discussed ways to strengthen this cooperation.

The U.S. official welcomed, in this regard, the continued deepening of relations between Morocco and Israel.