The TV debate between President Joe Biden and Republican candidate Donald Trump has offered insights into the future U.S. president, as Rabat eagerly awaits the return of the man who historically acknowledged Morocco’s claim over the Sahara.
Under Biden’s administration, Moroccan-American relations have seen strengthened military and diplomatic cooperation while refraining from tampering with Trump’s decision. Additionally, the decision to open a consulate in Dakhla has remained incomplete.
American officials’ statements regarding Morocco’s support for the Sahara have also been noticeably absent, with remarks on this issue remaining cautious and not surpassing support for the autonomy initiative and UN efforts.
Expert on African affairs and the Sahara issue, Moussaoui Ajlaoui, believes that “US-Morocco relations are institutionalized and that “the recognition decision made by Trump has not been reversed.”
In a statement to Hespress Ar, Ajlaoui said, “Morocco achieved more with former President Trump than with any other American president.”
He added that “the recognition, which was supposed to include opening a consulate in Dakhla, has not materialized. Some speculated that this issue might lead President Biden to backtrack Trump’s decision.”
The expert pointed out that the opposite happened, which is “the continuation of recognition without change, and the maps appeared complete more than once.”
At the same time, he questioned, “why, despite the recognition and America not opening its consulate in Dakhla, did Morocco not allow the opening of an embassy for Israel and kept only a liaison office?”
Ajlaoui asserted that “Trump’s return would open a new chapter in bilateral relations, particularly as it could rejuvenate the Sahara issue in Morocco’s favor if he fulfills his 2020 decision as anticipated.”
In a previous statement made in March during a press conference on the US budget’s diplomatic activities, Douglas Pitkin, Director of the Budget and Planning Office at the US State Department, affirmed that “there is no specific timeline for opening the consulate at this time,” noting that “planning in this regard is still ongoing to ensure an appropriate presence due to security conditions.”
Daoud Aba, a researcher in international law at Mohammed V University in Rabat, believes that “Trump’s expected return could significantly strengthen the relations between Morocco and America beyond their current state under Biden.”
Aba added that the US recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara was a recognition of Rabat’s efforts at the regional level and an executive decision “that cannot be reversed.”
The researcher explained that Trump’s return “could resolve the issue of the absence of a US consulate in Dakhla and is likely to increase rapprochement between the two countries,” predicting that “Biden will leave, and this is expected since the Gaza war.”
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