A senior Polisario Front official said ongoing talks over the Sahara conflict include discussions of Morocco’s autonomy proposal under the framework of UN Security Council Resolution 2797, according to remarks published by Spanish newspaper El Español.
Mohamed Salem Ould Bissett, a Polisario foreign affairs official involved in the consultations, said three rounds of “informal preliminary talks” had so far taken place, including two in the United States and one in Spain.
He said the meetings were jointly overseen by UN envoy Staffan de Mistura and the United States administration, adding that the discussions focused on implementing Resolution 2797, adopted by the UN Security Council in October 2025.
Bissett said Morocco’s autonomy initiative was currently being negotiated alongside proposals presented by Polisario and added that the movement was “not against autonomy,” describing it as one of the options under discussion within the political process.
The comments appear to reflect the growing centrality of Morocco’s autonomy proposal in international discussions surrounding the conflict, after the United States, Spain and France backed the plan as the basis for a political solution.
Bissett also described US involvement in the talks as “positive” and said Polisario had not faced pressure from either Washington or Rabat during the consultations.
He criticized the government of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, accusing Madrid of aligning itself with Morocco and losing influence over the negotiations after Spain endorsed the autonomy plan in 2022.
The remarks come ahead of the October renewal of the mandate of the UN mission in Western Sahara as diplomatic efforts intensify around a political settlement to the decades long dispute.
add your comment
Terms of publication : Not to offend the writer, people, sacred things, or attack religions or the divine self, and refrain from racist incitement and insults.