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Once again, Moroccan illusions about a chimerical diplomatic victory on the Sahrawi question have been proven. Rabat has just taken a new cold shower from one of its allies regarding the latest resolution of the United Nations Security Council voted on last Friday.
Indeed, Massad Boulos, the advisor to American President Donald Trump, for Africa and the Middle East, buried the enthusiasm of the Makhzen over a supposed recognition of its annexation plan, known as autonomy, of the territory of Western Sahara. Monday evening on France 24, Mr. Boulos confirmed practically all the statements made recently by the Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Attaf.
According to the American advisor, “the resolution satisfies both parties almost completely. The problem is only in the preamble of the resolution and not in the provisions. Without that, we could have had a unanimous vote of the 15 members, including Algeria.” For Mr. Boulos, it is necessary to distinguish between the official position of the United States and Donald Trump, who consider the autonomy plan as “the only solution”, and the October 31 resolution of the Security Council which leaves the door open to other ideas. In other words, there is no exclusivity of the Moroccan autonomy proposal, thus confirming the existence of other options, clearly indicated in the body of the text.
Regarding the self-determination referendum, Mr. Boulos does not rule it out, explaining that for this question, it is up to the parties to decide the question during the negotiations which will start in the coming weeks. “There can be a form of voting, as in any election,” he said. As for the determination of those who will be able to vote, this is a “detail” which has not yet been mentioned.
Massad Boulos goes further in his clarifications: “We encourage the parties to discuss all these details to arrive at a solution acceptable to all. There can also be a definitive solution acceptable to all, without recourse to a vote. »
A sentence which leaves the door open for the two parties in conflict, the Polisario Front and Rabat, to agree on technical and legal levels in the search for other ways to resolve the conflict.
Trump’s advisor further reiterated that the two parties to the conflict are the Polisario Front and the Kingdom of Morocco, thus thwarting the latter’s attempts to involve Algeria or to “bilateralize” the conflict, as King Mohamed VI desperately attempted in his speech after the adoption of the UN resolution.
Asked about the next step following the resolution, Massad Boulos indicated that there will be a proposal from Morocco based on the 2007 proposal but more detailed. “With the wisdom of the King and the Moroccans, we know that this is a very serious step. There is a serious desire to end this conflict, and the only way to end it is the agreement of both parties,” he said.
“We are counting on the wisdom of His Majesty the King and of Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and of Algerians in general (…) We know that Algeria and President Tebboune are open for this dialogue,” added the American advisor.
Mr. Boulos’ comments are consistent with his statements made recently to an Eastern television channel, in which he stressed that the UN Security Council resolution on Western Sahara only referred, for the first time certainly, to the Moroccan autonomy plan, without imposing it and without presenting it as the only solution to the conflict.
Massad Boulos stressed that “the resolution clearly refers to self-determination” and that this was accepted by Morocco, which, he said, “constitutes a very important step forward”. For him, “there remain the details on the manner of implementation, which will be the subject of discussions. There’s no question there will be some sort of vote or settlement.”
Morocco welcomed the proposal, contained in the resolution adopted by the Security Council, that each party could propose other ideas for discussion, added the American adviser. Mr. Boulos himself recognizes that the resolution constitutes the first step in a march of “a thousand miles”.