The United States on Thursday announced the opening of a “virtual” diplomatic mission in Western Sahara. In early December, Donald Trump announced that the United States recognized Moroccan sovereignty over this disputed territory.
In return for the normalization of relations between Morocco and Israel, Donald Trump on December 10, to everyone’s surprise, announced the recognition of “Moroccanism” in this desert region, claimed by the separatists from the Polisario Front supported by Algeria.
“I am pleased to announce the start of the process of establishing a US Consulate in Western Sahara,” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted on Thursday. “In the near future, we will inaugurate a virtual diplomatic mission.” A consulate that “will operate at full capacity” follows, the U.S. Secretary of State said in a statement without specifying a schedule.
Glad to announce the start of the process of establishing a US Consulate in Western Sahara, and the inauguration of a virtual presence post will take effect immediately! We look forward to promoting economic and social development and engaging the people of this region.
– Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) December 24, 2020 Mike Pompeoa reaffirmed that Washington intends to “continue to support political negotiations to resolve the differences between Morocco and the Polisario within the framework of the autonomy plan presented by Morocco”.
Jared Kushner, the son-in-law and adviser to the US President, arrived on Tuesday with an Israeli delegation aboard the first direct flight between Israel and Morocco, where he signed a declaration specifically opening the opening of a US consulate in Dakhla, in the southern part of Western Sahara, reports Agence France Presse. Donald Trump’s son-in-law is the architect of the recent rapprochement between now four Arab countries and the Hebrew state.
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This announcement by Donald Trump is a diplomatic victory for Morocco, while the Polisario Front, which with the support of Algeria still calls for a referendum on self-determination – referendum provided by a ceasefire signed under the leadership of the United Nations in 1991. The United Nations operation is called in this case also Minurso, the mission to hold a referendum in Western Sahara.
But Rabat, for his part, proposes an autonomy for the territory, de facto placed in its chest. We are talking in the Shereefian Empire about the “southern provinces”, they have in particular been the subject of a major regionalization policy that has progressed since 2015. Several incidental armed forces have opposed troops from Morocco and the Polisario in recent weeks.
►also read : Western Sahara: Morocco Suppresses Separatists (Human Rights Watch Comment)
► also read: Western Sahara: UN silence after Trump announcement
(with agencies)
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