Reaffirmation of Washington’s recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara made the headlines of international media

The United States’ reaffirmed on Tuesday its recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara, as announced by President Donald Trump to King Mohammed VI in 2020. The Tuesday news made the headlines of international media.

During a phone conversation in December 2020, President Donald Trump informed King Mohammed VI that he had issued a presidential proclamation, an act with undeniable legal and political weight and immediate effect, announcing the decision of the United States to recognize the full sovereignty of the Kingdom of Morocco over the entire Moroccan Sahara region.

This position was reiterated at a meeting on Tuesday in Washington between Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Thus, Reuters along with news websites usnews.com and Axios reported that the U.S. “continues to believe that genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the only feasible solution” to the regional dispute over the Sahara.

Citing the Spokesperson for the United States Department of State, Tammy Bruce, the media outlets added that President Trump is “urging for the parties to engage in discussions without delay, using Morocco’s Autonomy Proposal as the only framework, to negotiate a mutually acceptable solution.”

In the same vein, American news channels NBC and CBS, as well as Radio France Internationale (RFI) and Jeune Afrique magazine, reported that the U.S. Secretary of State reiterated that his country recognizes Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara and supports the proposal for serious, credible, and realistic autonomy as the only basis for a just and lasting solution to this dispute.

For their part, the U.S. magazine Barron’s and the Singaporean daily The Strait Times also echoed the Secretary of State’s statement, indicating that the U.S. “continues to believe that genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the only feasible solution.”

The Spanish news agency EFE reported that Washington considers the Moroccan autonomy proposal as “the only framework for negotiating a mutually acceptable solution” within the Kingdom’s sovereignty.

Similarly, another Spanish digital media outlet, Atlantico Hoy, emphasized that the U.S. administration under Donald Trump has reiterated its “full support” for Morocco’s position on the Sahara, and the call on the parties to engage in discussions without delay, clearly indicating that he considered “no other scenario” than the Moroccan autonomy proposal.

For their part, many African news agencies commented on Washington’s reaffirmation of its recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara. The news agencies of Mali (AMAP), Niger (ANP), Gabon (AGP), Congo (ACP) and Senegal (APS), in particular, published extensive comments on the U.S. position in support of Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara.

The African news agency Apanews and the Turkish news agency Anadolu also reported that the U.S. Secretary of State had reiterated the United States’ consistent position in favor of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara, and described again the Moroccan autonomy initiative as “serious, credible, and realistic”.