Morocco's Foreign Minister, Nasser Bourita, expressed on Monday that a recent suggestion by a United Nations envoy to divide the contested region of Western Sahara is deemed "unacceptable," highlighting the kingdom's historical rejections of comparable proposals.
In a private session of the UN Security Council held last week, the Western Sahara envoy, Staffan de Mistura, proposed the partition of the territory between Morocco and the pro-independence Polisario Front as a means to address the enduring conflict. Bourita pointed out that de Mistura had previously presented a similar idea during his visit to Morocco in April, which was also rejected by the kingdom.
Morocco has consistently rejected any consideration of the proposal, as it fundamentally opposes the kingdom's and the Moroccan people's steadfast belief that the Sahara is an integral part of Morocco, Bourita stated at a press conference held in Rabat, the capital.
While Morocco exercises significant control over Western Sahara, the Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, has been pursuing independence since Spain's exit in 1975. The United Nations designates the region as a "non-autonomous territory." Morocco asserts its claim over approximately 80 percent of the territory and has put forth a plan that offers limited autonomy while maintaining its sovereignty.
The Polisario Front advocates for a referendum on self-determination, a process that was initially intended to take place following a ceasefire in 1991 but has not yet been realized. De Mistura, a 77-year-old diplomat of Italian-Swedish descent, has been serving as the personal envoy of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for Western Sahara for the past three years.
Bourita also mentioned a similar proposal put forth by former UN envoy James Becker in 2002, which Morocco rejected. He stated, "Morocco does not negotiate its sovereignty over the Sahara," underscoring that the matter is "a regional dispute with a neighboring country that contests Morocco's sovereignty over its territory."
Diplomatic relations between Algeria and Morocco were severed in 2021, primarily due to the persistent conflict between the two nations. In 2020, the United States recognized Morocco's claim over Western Sahara in exchange for Morocco's normalization of diplomatic relations with Israel.
During a press conference, Bourita promoted the idea of "round table" discussions to achieve a "political solution" to the ongoing conflict, underscoring the significance of Moroccan sovereignty. This event was held alongside Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, who stated that Estonia views Morocco's autonomy plan as "a good, serious, and credible basis for a solution."
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