فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
Fez News – Diplomacy and Regional Affairs
Rabat – The United Nations Security Council adopted, on October 31, a resolution considered a historic turning point supporting Morocco’s 2007 autonomy proposal as the basis for negotiation, describing it as the most viable solution to the dispute over the Western Sahara. An Atlantic Council report described this event as a new “diplomatic Green March,” noting that it ends five decades of stagnant balance and opens prospects for a lasting settlement, with broad international support strengthening regional stability.
Historic Shift Redraws the Diplomatic Map
The resolution, adopted with 11 votes in favor and three abstentions (China, Pakistan, and Russia), represents international confirmation of the autonomy proposal that places the Saharan territories under Moroccan sovereignty with broad local administration. The report likens this achievement to the 1975 Green March, which saw a peaceful mobilization of 350,000 citizens leading to the withdrawal of Spanish administration, while the Polisario Front declared a separatist entity demanding full independence. The subsequent armed conflict, which stopped with a ceasefire in 1991, divided the region around a defensive wall, with diplomacy frozen since 1963, where the Western Sahara is classified as one of the most stubborn colonial files at the United Nations.
The resolution rejects traditional scenarios such as territorial partition or referendum, considering them inapplicable due to demographic complexities, as Hassani populations have historically flowed between northern Morocco, Mauritania, Mali, and Algeria, with major migration movements in recent decades between Moroccan regions and Tindouf camps. The text calls for dialogue “without preconditions” based on the Moroccan proposal, and confirms the support of the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy Staffan de Mistura for negotiations focused on genuine autonomy within national unity.
Polisario Rejection and Accelerating International Support
The Polisario Front rejected the resolution, considering it a violation of the colonial status of the territories, but the report confirms that the United Nations is merely “catching up with reality,” as international support for Morocco began in 2020 with the Trump administration’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty, followed by endorsements from France and Spain (the former colonial powers), then Britain, Belgium, and Israel, in addition to dozens of Arab, African, and Latin American countries that opened diplomatic representations or invested in the Saharan territories.
The current American administration is described as “more determined,” considering the file “an achievable political success,” and Washington has confirmed to de Mistura that “the only path is Moroccan sovereignty.” The United Arab Emirates also contributed strong diplomatic efforts with permanent members such as France and Russia, with investments reaching $30 billion in Morocco, and opening the first Arab consulate in Laayoune in 2020. As for Massad Boulos, an American advisor on African affairs, he managed intensive bilateral negotiations, announcing an upcoming American consulate in Dakhla, while peace envoy Steve Witkoff indicated an “imminent Moroccan-Algerian agreement” before Jared Kushner, a fierce advocate for Morocco.
Development Vision and Implementation Challenges
The report highlights Moroccan efforts in strategic projects such as the Atlantic Initiative to economically link the Sahara with coastal countries, with the Dakhla Atlantic Port at a cost of $1.2 billion, capable of processing 35 million tons of cargo by 2028, alongside structural tourism projects. However, implementation requires a complete program of advanced regionalization within 12 months, including local governance, distribution of competencies, and elections, with constitutional amendments and a national referendum. The main challenge is involving the Polisario Front in negotiations under Moroccan sovereignty.
Positive political signals point to King Mohammed VI’s visit to the UAE, rapprochement between Algeria and Paris through a pardon for Boualem Sansal, and a royal call for “no victor, no vanquished” to revive the Maghreb Union. The report concludes that the resolution is a “fundamental step” toward a realistic solution, but requires deep work in governance, resources, and cultural heritage, toward “a second peaceful Green March.”
Lahcen Haddad, former Istiqlal advisor, Minister of Tourism, and President of the Morocco-European Union Joint Parliamentary Committee, added that “the Atlantic Council’s description of the UN vote as a ‘diplomatic Green March’ sends a clear message: the world is moving toward the Moroccan autonomy initiative as the only reliable path, and it is a major victory for Moroccan diplomacy and regional stability.”
Keywords: UN Western Sahara resolution 2025, diplomatic Green March, Moroccan autonomy proposal, Atlantic Council Sahara, American support Morocco sovereignty, Polisario Front resolution rejection
