Nairobi News

There is “no change in the clear and consistent U.S. position” regarding the Moroccan Sahara
issue, the U.S. State Department has said, while reiterating Washington’s support for Morocco’s autonomy plan viewed as “serious, credible, and realistic.”

In a statement published on the eve of the visit to Morocco of U.S. Assistant Secretary for North
Africa Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Joshua Harris (Dec. 17-18), the State Department stressed that
that during his talks in Rabat, the U.S. official will reiterate that “there is no change in
the clear and consistent U.S. position.”

This new reaffirmation of the consistency of Washington’s position provides a scathing denial of the fallacious allegations conveyed by some Algerian media outlets which have insinuated, following the recent visit to Algiers made by the U.S. official, an alleged change in the U.S. position on the Sahara issue.

“The United States fully supports UN Personal Envoy de Mistura in facilitating the negotiations
process to achieve a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable solution for the Sahara,” the statement
points out.

After recalling that the United States “believes a negotiated political solution should be realized
without further delay,” the same source underlines that “the outcome of UN-led negotiations –
mutually agreed to by the parties and reflecting their commitment to UN efforts in a spirit of
realism and compromise – would constitute the final resolution to this issue.”

“In this regard, the United States continues to view Morocco’s Autonomy Proposal as serious,
credible, and realistic,” it says.

The visit to Rabat of Deputy Assistant Secretary Joshua Harris will also focus on the means to
further strengthen the U.S.-Morocco partnership in addition to a range of regional security
priorities, the statement stresses.

Morocco considers Western Sahara as part of its territory and has maintained control over most of the region for decades.

Some countries have struggled to endorse Morocco’s claim, however.