Sahara: U.S. sends envoy to Algeria and Morocco to advance regional peace

Deputy Assistant Secretary Joshua Harris arrived Wednesday in Algiers “to begin a round of consultations with Algeria and Morocco to advance regional peace and UN political process in the Sahara to achieve an enduring solution without further delay.”

The announcement was made by the U.S. State Department Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs in its Twitter account. In September, Mr. Harris traveled to the region for the same agenda, insisting on “the spirit of pragmatism and compromise.”

In an analysis published lately on U.S. policy in North Africa, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy has called on the Biden Administration to be cautious in engaging Algeria as such approach does not guarantee it will shift away from Moscow and Beijing or defuse tension with Rabat.

The Institute’s experts also urged the U.S. to continue supporting the UN-led process to resolve the Sahara dispute, while upholding the American recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the territory and protecting Morocco’s crucial relations with Washington and Israel which are paramount importance to U.S. regional interests