Following the Security Council’s adoption of a landmark resolution Friday backing Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Sahara, representatives of member states delivered statements reflecting consensus on the realism of the Kingdom’s political plan, under the auspices of the UN.
US representative Mike Walters, penholder of the resolution, welcomed “the historic vote,” saying it seizes upon a “unique moment” to achieving a prolonged and long awaited peace in the Sahara. Recognizing the UN mission’s key role in the file, the US extended its full support to the MINURSO, thanking the council for their sustainable participation in the passing the resolution.
“The United States, President Trump is resolute in his support for peace. We are deeply committed to resolving this long standing issue,” said the representative, calling on all parties to “use coming weeks to engage in serious discussions using Morocco’s credible, realistic autonomy proposal, as the only basis for a just and lasting solution to the dispute.”
The China ambassador, as the delegation abstained from voting, expressed support for the MINURSO mandate’s one-year extension, in hopes that “relevant parties will continue to engage with the mission’s efforts.”
“China offered constructive inputs during resolution consultation, hoping to produce a more balanced text,” said the representative, adding that China’s abstention stems from the failure of such omissions on the final draft.
However, China supports that “a political solution is the way out, with the United Nations being the main channel,” said the ambassador, adding that China is looking forward to seeing a partisan agreement to end the conflict.
French ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont welcomed the adoption of the resolution, its extension of the MINURSO mission and the US’s “balanced text that takes into account requests made by various delegations.”
“We call on all parties to engage now in negotiations for a new chapter for the Sahara and the region,” said the ambassador, adding “for France, the present and future of the Sahara lies within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty.”
“Our support for the Moroccan sovereignty is unwavering,”said France, ” as it is the only framework to arrive at a political solution.”
The United Kingdom, through diplomat James Kariuki “welcomed the adoption of the resolution, and welcomes US leadership and the text,” which represents a step towards a “just and lasting solution” to the prolonged conflict.
“This is the start of the process to find a mutually acceptable solution, not the end.”
Commending the work of the UN Envoy, urging parties to engage in negotiations, the UK representative highlighted Morocco’s autonomy proposal, “which the UK considers the most credible, viable and pragmatic basis for a solution.”
“Now is the time to settle this 50 year conflict,” said the UK ambassador.
Russia abstained in voting the resolution saying the text was imbalanced and lacked consideration from different delegation, yet decided not to obstruct the adoption through veto.
In a highly expected contrarian optic, having decided to sit-out the vote, Algeria lamented the council’s decision, question the resolution’s “legal ,” saying “the text does not reflect the UN doctrine.”
“As a neighboring country, Algeria has engaged in good faith in negotiations on the text before it,” said Algeria’s UN Ambassador, thanking the US for its attempts to find a compromise to the resolution.
The UN resolution marks an unprecedented shift, moving beyond the mere management of a regional dispute to establish a framework for a realistic political solution in line with broader international priorities.
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