A senior U.S. State Department official told Assahifa English that the United States reaffirms its recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara, considering the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative as the only framework for achieving a just and lasting political solution to the regional dispute.
The U.S. official explained that Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterates that "the United States recognizes Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara and supports Morocco’s serious, credible, and realistic Autonomy Proposal as the only basis for a just and lasting solution to the dispute.”
According to the same source, Secretary Rubio also renewed President Donald Trump’s call for the parties involved “to engage in discussions without delay, using Morocco’s Autonomy Proposal as the only framework, to negotiate a mutually acceptable solution. The Secretary noted that the United States would
facilitate progress toward this aim.”
Regarding the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), the U.S. official said that Washington “continuously assesses how MINURSO is advancing America First priorities", adding that “President Trump has made it clear that all parties need to engage in discussions without delay, using Morocco’s Autonomy Proposal as the only basis for a just and lasting solution to the dispute.”
This statement comes as the United States, acting as the penholder on the Sahara file at the United Nations, circulated a new draft resolution to the members of the Security Council on Tuesday, October 22, 2025.
The draft resolution, discussed in two closed-door sessions held on Wednesday and Thursday, reaffirms support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan under its sovereignty as the only serious and realistic basis for resolving the dispute, prompting strong reactions from both the Polisario Front and Algeria.
The initial draft, known as “Zero Draft,” calls on the parties to “engage in direct negotiations without preconditions,” based on the Moroccan proposal submitted in 2007, while extending MINURSO’s mandate until January 31, 2026.
The Polisario Front reacted angrily to the American proposal, issuing an official statement last Friday rejecting the draft “in its entirety,” and threatening to boycott any political process or negotiations if it is adopted without taking its observations into account.
This position was conveyed in an official letter dated October 23, 2025, sent by Polisario’s representative to MINURSO, Sidi Mohamed Ammar, to the President of the Security Council and Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzia, requesting that the contents of the letter be circulated to Council members.
In the letter, the Polisario Front said it had “taken note of the U.S. draft resolution,” but described it as “a dangerous and unprecedented deviation from international law,” claiming that it “undermines the foundations of the UN-led peace process in the Sahara.”
The new U.S. approach, as reflected in the draft resolution, has become a major source of tension for Algeria and the Polisario, as it effectively rules out the options of full independence or a referendum, and instead establishes Morocco’s Autonomy Plan under its sovereignty as the sole reference point for future negotiations.
