Latest news with #StaffandeMistura
Ya Biladi
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
Sahara : Staffan de Mistura meets with Polisario delegation in Brussels
Thursday in Brussels, Staffan de Mistura, the Personal Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for Western Sahara, met with a Polisario delegation led by its so-called «Minister of Foreign Affairs», Mohamed Yeslem Beïssat. The discussions focused on «recent developments concerning the Sahrawi issue, particularly at the United Nations level, and the ongoing efforts to implement international resolutions regarding the decolonization of Western Sahara», according to the Polisario news agency on Friday. This meeting took place on the sidelines of the ministerial conference between the European Union and the African Union, in which the Polisario Front also participated. It is noteworthy that Staffan de Mistura also met in Brussels with Mauritania's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug. The Belgian capital was also the setting for a meeting between Algeria's Foreign Minister, Ahmed Attaf, and his Polisario counterpart. The UN envoy is tasked with reviving the process to resolve the Western Sahara issue, which is scheduled to be reviewed by the United Nations Security Council next October.
Morocco World
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Morocco's Parliament Takes Action to Protect Sovereignty Over Western Sahara
Rabat — Morocco's House of Councillors launched an important conference today about the Western Sahara dispute, under the theme of 'Parliament and the Moroccan Sahara issue: for efficient parallel diplomacy and effective institutional advocacy.' The gathering focused on how Parliament can boost diplomatic efforts to support Morocco's sovereignty over its Western Sahara territory. The conference comes at a critical time, as Morocco has made significant gains in its push for international recognition of its sovereignty over Western Sahara. A key point of the event is to prove that parliamentary diplomacy is now key to building on this momentum and enhancing Morocco's position. The event features two main sessions. One is allocated to discuss recent developments and explore paths to finally resolve this artificial dispute. In the second session, they'll tackle development plans and human rights issues in the region. Political parties kicked off the conference with opening speeches. The schedule of the event also includes hearings, workshops, and reviewing academic research and contributions about the Western Sahara. The conference is set to end with a report full of practical recommendations and conclusions, emanating from politicians, academics, civil society groups, and experts who know the Western Sahara dispute inside out. The proceedings of this conference aim to turn words into action to defend Morocco's territorial integrity. Read also: Egypt Rejects Algeria's Invitation to Join Military Drill Involving Polisario Morocco's momentum in Western Sahara Morocco has been making strides in attracting international backing for its Autonomy Plan for Western Sahara. Most recently, Croatia has made its position clear that it considers the autonomy initiative a good basis for reaching a political solution to the artificial dispute over Western Sahara. Meanwhile, Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed his country's support for Morocco's autonomy plan. Other major countries have recently followed in reiterating their support for Morocco's plan, describing it as a serious and credible solution. The US reaffirmed its support for Morocco's Autonomy Plan during a meeting between US Under Secretary Lisa Kenna and UN Envoy Staffan de Mistura in April. Morocco's momentum in securing growing international support for its Autonomy Plan for Western Sahara reflects the country's commitment to securing stability and development in the region. With international recognition of Morocco's Autonomy Plan as the only solution to the Western Sahara dispute, especially from big powers like the US, France, and Spain, the North African country is gaining more traction on the international stage. Tags: Moroccan ParliamentParliament and western sahraWestern sahara
El Chorouk
20-04-2025
- Politics
- El Chorouk
Sidi Mohamed Amar : We Expect Washington Will Respect UN Resolutions
The American administration emphasised the need for a solution to the Western Sahara conflict acceptable to both parties, the Polisario Front's representative to the United Nations and coordinator with MINURSO, Ambassador Sidi Mohamed Amar, said. This 'presents us with the reality that the Polisario Front and the Sahrawi people categorically reject the so-called Moroccan expansionist proposal, which was stillborn. This means that this proposal can never serve as the basis for any solution, today or tomorrow, because it is rejected in its entirety by the Sahrawi side. It should also not be the basis for a just and lasting solution that guarantees the Sahrawis' right to self-determination, as affirmed by UN Security Council resolutions, including the recent resolution 2756 .' He added in an interview with Echorouk regarding the briefing recently delivered by the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy, Staffan de Mistura, to members of the Security Council, that 'it presented the outcome of his consultations and contacts with both parties to the conflict—the Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro—and the Moroccan occupation state, during his recent tour of the region, in addition to his contacts with some other parties, including the new US administration'. Therefore, 'everything De Mistura presented regarding the new US administration's confirmation of the position it adopted in December 2021 is a presentation of this position and does not imply any endorsement either by him or the Secretary-General of the so-called Moroccan expansionist proposal.' Regarding the remarks of the US President's Advisor for African and Middle Eastern Affairs, Massad Boulos, who announced his readiness to visit the region, Sahrawi Ambassador Sidi Mohamed Amar explained, 'We in the Polisario Front place more importance on actions than words.' He added that what the Polisario Front expects from the United States, in brief, are two issues. The first concerns the implementation and respect of the letter and spirit of the United Nations resolutions, including the decision of the General Assembly, which considers the Western Sahara issue a matter of decolonisation , and Security Council resolutions, which address the issue as a matter of international peace and security. The second is that it be faithful to the letter and spirit of its constitution, which, as we know, is based on affirming the sovereignty of peoples and their freedom of choice. This constitution begins with the phrase 'We the people of the United States,' a phrase that was quoted in the wording of the UN Charter itself, which begins with the words 'We the peoples of the United Nations.' 'Therefore, what we demand is that it be faithful to the letter and spirit of its constitution, which affirms the sovereignty of peoples and their freedom of choice. This means, concerning the Western Sahara issue, supporting a peaceful and just solution that respects the will of the Sahrawi people and their inalienable right to self-determination and independence,' he added. The Polisario Front representative stressed that 'supporting any solution, whatever its type, that does not respect, ignores, or attempts to distort the legal nature of the Western Sahara issue will only lead to an escalation of tensions in the region, which will not serve regional and continental peace and security.'
Ya Biladi
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
US to de Mistura : «Autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the only feasible solution»
Lisa Kenna, Executive Secretary of the United States Department of State, met yesterday with the United Nations Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, «to consult on his valuable and ongoing contributions to advancing peace in the Western Sahara». In a post on X, Kenna reaffirmed the «clear U.S. position – genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the only feasible solution». She added, «The parties must come to the table now to negotiate a mutually acceptable result». Met with UN Personal Envoy Staffan de Mistura to consult on his valuable and ongoing contributions to advancing peace in the Western Sahara. @SecRubio has reiterated a clear U.S. position – genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the only feasible solution. The parties… — Lisa Kenna (@UnderSecStateP) April 10, 2025 Kenna also attended a meeting on Tuesday, April 8, between U.S. Senator Marco Rubio and Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, during which the U.S. administration reiterated its support for Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara—first expressed in the December 10, 2020 declaration—and urged the Polisario Front to engage in negotiations based on Rabat's 2007 autonomy plan, under Moroccan sovereignty. It is worth noting that Staffan de Mistura recently concluded a regional tour that included meetings with the parties directly involved in the Western Sahara dispute, with visits to Rabat, Nouakchott, the Tindouf camps, and Algiers. The UN envoy is expected to present a closed-door briefing to members of the UN Security Council on April 14, outlining the latest developments in the Western Sahara file since October 31, 2024.
Morocco World
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Western Sahara: US Renews Position in Talks with UN Envoy, Urges All Parties to Engage in Political Process
Rabat — US Under Secretary Lisa Kenna has reconveyed her country's support for Morocco's sovereignty over its southern provinces during a meeting with UN Personal Envoy for Western Sahara Staffan de Mistura. The meeting came after de Mistura's regional trip, during which he discussed the Western Sahara dispute with the main parties before briefing the Security Council on the developments surrounding the conflict. 'Met with UN Personal Envoy Staffan de Mistura to consult on his valuable and ongoing contributions to advancing peace in the Western Sahara,' Kenna said , recalling Secretary Marco Rubio's meeting with Nasser Bourita to reaffirm the US position that genuine autonomy under Morocco's sovereignty is the only feasible solution. During the meeting with Bourita, Rubio stressed the US position, noting that autonomy is the only framework to negotiate a mutually acceptable solution. The US top diplomat also highlighted the US' interest in contributing to facilitating progress towards this aim. In her X remarks, Kenna reiterated that the US believes that all parties must come to the table 'now to negotiate a mutually acceptable result.' Although the statement does not explicitly reference Algeria's regime, the remarks appear to be a direct message to the Algerian government, which continues to reject its responsibility in the dispute. Algeria's regime views its mandate as assessing or observing the dispute, claiming that the conflict should be tackled by the Polisario and Morocco. UN Security Council resolutions, however, have shut down Algeria's regime's intentions and maneuvers, urging it to engage in the UN-led political process and contribute to finding a mutually acceptable political solution to end the dispute. UN Security Council Resolution 2756 from October 2024 confirmed Algeria's growing isolation and failure to achieve its aggressive diplomatic objectives, rejecting Algeria's attempt to shirk its responsibility on the Sahara dispute. Algeria's regime, which hosts, finances, arms, and supports the Polisari Front's independence claims, repeated its observer duty claims during de Mistura's meeting earlier this month. The same attempts were documented in the UN Secretary General's report on Western Sahara last year in October, where Antonio Guterres acknowledged that the Algerian regime focuses on 'ensuring Western Sahara's people the right to self-determination.' Holding Algeria accountable Abdelfattah E l Fatihi, a political analyst and director of the Sahara and Africa Strategic Studies Center, stressed to Morocco World News (MWN) that the statement by the US Secretary of State, inviting Algeria and the Polisario to sit at the negotiating table, places the supporters of the separatist agenda in a tight corner. 'It holds them accountable for threatening regional and international peace and security by continuing to support aggression against Morocco's territorial integrity through military operations in the Sahara,' he told MWN. The analyst emphasized that this statement confirms that the US recognition is a stable decision, marking the culmination of a solid historical trajectory of Moroccan-American ties and Morocco's credibility as a reliable partner. El Fatihi believes that the US' position could be influential in pushing many other countries to follow in Washington's path. 'I believe that the renewal of US recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara will accelerate the resolution of the fabricated conflict and hasten an imminent British recognition, following the lead of other permanent members of the Security Council,' he told MWN. British MPs have long been urging their government to follow in the momentum of international support for Morocco's Sahara position. David Lammym, the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, emphasized that there is an ongoing discussion with Morocco's government on this matter. 'This is a complex issue. The position remains the position we had under the last government. Of course, we keep that under review as we continue to discuss these issues in the region,' he said in a recent parliament session. Similar statements show a potential change in the UK government's traditional position regarding the dispute. This was also evident when the British government announced that UK businesses are free to operate in Morocco's southern provinces in Western Sahara. Tags: algeria ad polisarioalgeria western sahara
