In addition to the United States, the United Nations has confirmed that the latest talks on Western Sahara held in Madrid involved all four parties, including Algeria.
The confirmation of Algeria’s role in the Madrid talks on the disputed enclave contradicts narratives circulated by Algeria-affiliated media and other international reports, which claimed that negotiations were conducted solely between Morocco and the Polisario Front, with Algerian delegations merely present.
Responding to questions about the meeting, UN Secretary-General’s spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric reaffirmed that senior UN and US delegations had facilitated the talks in Madrid with representatives from Morocco, Algeria, the Polisario Front and Mauritania.
The talks focused on the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2797, adopted in October last year. The resolution formally endorsed Morocco’s autonomy plan as the basis for negotiations aimed at reaching a political and consensual solution to the Western Sahara conflict.
Dujarric categorically stressed that the UN would not disclose details of the meeting, but clearly stated that all four parties had taken part, dismissing claims that the talks were bilateral between Morocco and Polisario.
Morocco, along with many observers — including within the Tindouf camps — rejects the separatist Polisario group as the legitimate representative of the Sahrawis. The kingdom has long argued that the talks should instead be held with the Algerian regime, which hosts, finances, arms and supports the Polisario’s separatist claims challenging Morocco’s territorial integrity.
By maintaining this stance for years, the Algerian regime has hindered the UN-led political process and refused to assume its responsibilities in the Western Sahara conflict, suggesting that a solution should be negotiated solely between Polisario and Morocco.
However, Resolution 2797 has undermined Algeria’s unsuccessful attempts by clearly and explicitly identifying Algeria as a main party to the dispute.
At the time, the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Staffan de Mistura, stated: “This is a very detailed resolution; every word was carefully chosen and negotiated. Several key points stand out: the parties are clearly identified as Morocco, Polisario, Algeria and Mauritania.”
The United States recognised Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces in 2020 and has since firmly maintained that the autonomy plan remains the only viable framework for ending the dispute over Western Sahara.
Resolution 2797 underscored the importance of Algeria’s participation in forthcoming discussions, without preconditions or delays, in order to facilitate a mutually acceptable political solution within the framework of Morocco’s autonomy plan, serving as the basis for negotiations.
MK/AK/Sf/lb/as/APA