Security Council Resolution 2602: A clear roadmap toward a political solution.
In its resolution 2602, adopted on October 29, 2021, the UN Security Council reiterated the basic parameters of the UN political process aimed at achieving a political solution to the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara, reaffirming the format of this process, its actors, and its purpose.
Thus, the Security Council reaffirmed its call to Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, and "polisario" to continue their engagement in the roundtable process, in a spirit of realism and compromise, throughout its duration, with a view to reaching a realistic, pragmatic, and sustainable political solution based on consensus while reaffirming its commitment to the progress made during the previous roundtables. In doing so, the Security Council has yet again reaffirmed Algeria’s responsibility in the regional dispute. Indeed, Algeria is mentioned five times in the text, as many times as Morocco, demonstrating that it is indeed a player in this regional dispute.
For the informed observer, this is a clear response to the manoeuvres of Algiers, which had notified, just before the adoption of the resolution, its refusal to participate in the round table process, even though it was established by the Security Council as the only framework for discussion to achieve a political solution to the regional dispute over the Sahara.
In addition, the UN executive body welcomed the Kingdom’s “serious and credible efforts” to finding a political and peaceful solution to the conflict in reference to the Autonomy plan proposed by His Majesty the King Mohamed VI for the country’s Southern Provinces. This initiative marked a turning point in the history of the regional dispute. These parameters reflect the wide international dynamic in support of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara
Indeed, on December 10, 2020, the 45th President of the United States of America issued a proclamation in which the United States acknowledged Morocco's full sovereignty over the Sahara, while supporting the Autonomy Initiative as the only realistic, serious, and credible basis for a political solution to the regional dispute over the Sahara.
In the same vein, forty-two States gathered in January 2021 on the occasion of the Ministerial Conference on Support for Autonomy under Moroccan Sovereignty had expressed their support for this Proclamation, emphasizing the autonomy plan as the only credible political solution to the dispute.
On this basis, the resolution that sets out the mandate of the new Personal Envoy of the Secretary General for the Sahara Mr. Staffan de Mistura. The Italian-Swedish diplomat was thus able to start his mission with a clear mandate from the Security Council to build on the progress made throughout the two Geneva roundtables, with the ultimate goal of reaching a political solution that meets the criteria of realism, pragmatism, sustainability and compromise.
Morocco has affirmed, by the voice of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, its commitment to the revive of the political process on the basis of the parameters defined in the Security Council resolutions, with a view to reaching a political solution based on the Autonomy Initiative, within the framework of national sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the Kingdom.
The international community remains in the hope that Algiers will be favourable to take its place at the upcoming roundtables to resolve peacefully the regional dispute going now into its 5th decade.
