The United States has welcomed what it described as a “historic vote” by the UN Security Council on Friday, extending the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) for another year and reaffirming support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as the basis for a political solution to the regional dispute.
In a statement posted on X, Masad Boulos, Senior Advisor to the U.S. President for Arab and African Affairs, said Washington looks forward to supporting negotiations aimed at achieving lasting peace in the Sahara.
Boulos expressed his full endorsement of the U.S. President’s call for all parties to engage in direct talks without delay in order to reach a final settlement based on “genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty,” describing Morocco’s Autonomy Initiative as a “credible and realistic proposal.”
The senior U.S. official also stressed his agreement with King Mohammed VI on the need to launch a “brotherly dialogue” between Morocco and Algeria to overcome differences and build new relations founded on trust and mutual respect.
“Under the leadership of President Trump, the United States remains firmly committed to working with all parties to achieve a fair and lasting peace,” Boulos added.
Friday’s UN Security Council vote adopted Resolution 2797 (2025), which calls for renewed efforts toward a political solution grounded in Morocco’s Autonomy Initiative. The resolution was supported by 11 members, including the United States, France, and the United Kingdom.
Three countries—Russia, China, and Pakistan—abstained from voting, while Algeria opted not to participate in the vote altogether.
It marks the second consecutive time that Algeria has chosen to withdraw from the voting process, neither supporting, opposing, nor abstaining—a move widely interpreted as signaling its political isolation on the issue.
The United States’ strong endorsement of the UN resolution reinforces its long-standing position that Morocco’s Autonomy Plan represents the most realistic path toward resolving the decades-old dispute, while maintaining regional stability and strengthening cooperation across North Africa.
