Moroccan Sahara: Call for realism, compromise reaffirmed in UNSG's latest report

The report of the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, on the question of the Moroccan Sahara, published in anticipation of the consideration of the next Security Council resolution this October, once again reaffirms the call for realism and compromise in the face of separatist posturing.

In this document, the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Staffan de Mistura, responds to the separatist posturing, reiterating the need for an approach based on realism and a spirit of compromise, in accordance with Security Council Resolution 2703 adopted in October 2023.

This position, reaffirmed at a key moment in the process, is consistent with the Kingdom’s constants and the momentum in favor of the Moroccan Sahara, as evidenced by the growing international support for the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative, which has been described as the best and most realistic option for resolving this regional dispute.

This reminder by the Personal Envoy of the centrality of the parameters defined by recent Security Council resolutions advocates the preeminence of the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative, thus confirming the separatist option as null and void, particularly at a time when the recent international momentum in support of the Moroccanness of the Sahara represents a significant turning point that marks the beginning of a political solution consistent with the Kingdom’s constants.

The Moroccan Autonomy Initiative, presented in 2007 to the United Nations Secretary-General, is the most realistic, serious, and credible proposal for achieving a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution to the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara.

Backed by numerous Security Council resolutions, this Initiative is fully in line with the political process conducted under the exclusive auspices of the United Nations and responds to the international community’s calls for a settlement based on realism and compromise.