Frente Polisario and the Moroccan government will meet in Vienna shortly to engage in informal talks under auspices of UN Special Envoy, Christopher Ross. An alternative to break the Western Saharan dead-lock, as suggested by the Obama-administration, will be discussed.
The last round of negotiations between Morocco and the Polisario, which took place in March 2008 in Manhasset New York, didn’t lead to any result. But the arrival of a new UN Special Envoy for Western Sahara and a change in US administration have left many hoping for a breakthrough in this protracted conflict.
Both Frente Polisario and the Moroccan government claim to look forward to the talks in August and hope to hear more about the alternative route suggested by the White House. Of course both of them are hoping that the plan Christopher Ross will put forward, will be in line with their respective position.
Taking into account the preparative groundwork currently undertaken by the Obama-administration and the UN Envoy, it would appear that two innovative elements will be part of the new approach.
First of all, Mauritania is once again – and rightfully so – considered as an implicated party to the conflict. This is confirmed by Ross’ recent visit to Mauritanian capital Nouakchott. This African country bordering Western Sahara occupied the south of the disputed territory between 1975 and 1979, when it withdrew and recognised the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination. Moreover, many Sahrawi refugees live in the north of Mauritania.
Second, when Ross recently visited all the involved states to the conflict to check upon their willingness to participate in the envisaged informal discussions, he did not visit Paris. This could point to the fact that the USA does not consider French presence to be imperative in the upcoming negotiations, which are pending on the success of the informal meetings.
Sources close to Washington also reveal that the new plan does not refer explicitly to either of the solutions envisioned by the conflicting parties. There are however rumours about a phased solution, whereby neither autonomy nor independence will be topic of discussion during the first phase.
Read more: Obama reverses Bush-backed Morocco plan in favor of Polisario state
Africa's last colonySince 1975, three quarters of the Western Sahara territory has been illegally occupied by Morocco. The original population lives divided between those suffering human rights abuses under the Moroccan occupation and those living in exile in Algerian refugee camps. For more than 40 years, the Saharawi await the fulfilment of their legitimate right to self-determination.
Since 1975, three quarters of the Western Sahara territory has been illegally occupied by Morocco. The original population lives divided between those suffering human rights abuses under the Moroccan occupation and those living in exile in Algerian refugee camps. For more than 40 years, the Saharawi await the fulfilment of their legitimate right to self-determination.
