Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita has stated that Morocco is moving towards the final closure of the Western Sahara issue. This comes after years of managing the file within the United Nations. Bourita emphasized that the Security Council's meetings on Western Sahara will lose their previous function. The meetings were previously dedicated to discussing the extension of the MINURSO mission's mandate and renewing its tasks periodically.
Bourita highlighted that the upcoming phase does not leave room for multiple negotiation references. He stressed that there is only one basis for negotiation, which is the autonomy initiative under Morocco's full sovereignty. This initiative is based on UN Resolution 2797. However, some parties still refuse to engage in implementing the resolution's requirements despite changes in positions of several countries within the international community.
The minister mentioned that one of the changes is the possibility of moving the discussion on the file to the Fourth Committee of the UN General Assembly. This committee is a UN framework where no country has veto power, unlike the Security Council. Bourita believes this path allows Morocco to continue defending its position. This is due to the support that the autonomy proposal receives within the international community.
Bourita emphasized that Morocco is entering this phase based on the widening circle of international support for its initiative. He stressed that the goal is to transition from discussing the nature of the solution to implementing autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty. This is considered the only basis that Morocco accepts negotiating about.
These statements come after developments in the Western Sahara file at the UN Security Council meeting on October 30, 2026. A US draft resolution gained support from 11 members, but was rejected due to a Russian veto. A Russian draft resolution also failed to obtain the required nine votes, gaining only three supporters and opposition from the US.
The developments resulted in the non-renewal of the MINURSO mission's mandate, which was set to expire at midnight on Saturday. The mission's personnel will reportedly leave Morocco permanently after the end of the tasks for which they were created.
The situation indicates a significant shift in Morocco's approach to the Western Sahara issue. The country seems to be pushing for a final resolution to the longstanding conflict.
Key points
- Morocco's Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita says the country will remove the Western Sahara issue from the UN Security Council's agenda.
- The autonomy initiative under Moroccan sovereignty is the only basis for negotiation.
- The UN Security Council failed to renew the MINURSO mission's mandate due to disagreements on a resolution.
