Risking the ire of Algeria and the Polisario, Staffan de Mistura has called for the resumption of the Round Table process, which has been stalled for several years. The UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for Western Sahara also urged Algiers to take a constructive role by encouraging the Polisario Front to pursue a political and diplomatic resolution to the conflict. The Italian news agency NOVA revealed on Thursday, October 16, the main points of Staffan de Mistura's address to the UN Security Council during its closed-door session on October 10. The UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for Western Sahara called for «the launch of a new round of negotiations between Morocco, the Polisario Front, Algeria, and Mauritania by the end of 2025». Failing that, he warned, «further diplomatic paralysis could trigger a dangerous military drift with regional and global repercussions». As a reminder, Algeria and the Polisario Front have consistently rejected Security Council resolutions calling for the resumption of the Round Table discussions involving the four parties. Two such meetings have already been held in Geneva, in December 2018 and March 2019, under UN auspices. Before the Council, De Mistura urged «a change of pace» in the diplomatic process, stressing that «the time has come to make bold decisions and launch a new phase of negotiations based on realism and compromise». «Algeria Must Encourage the Polisario to Prioritize the Political Path» This stance aligns with that of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who in his report to the General Assembly last August urged the parties to «change course without delay, with the help of the UN and the support of the international community, to reach a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution». De Mistura emphasized that the Sahara issue «cannot remain frozen without consequences», warning that the absence of dialogue could lead to a dangerous military escalation with repercussions across the Maghreb and beyond. According to NOVA, the UN envoy «invited Morocco to further develop, in writing and in detail, its autonomy plan», a suggestion he had also made in October 2014 during a previous appearance before the Security Council. He also urged «Algeria to encourage the Polisario to prioritize the political path and abandon the military approach», a recommendation that stands in contrast to recent remarks by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who declared that he would never impose a solution rejected by the Polisario. Military Tensions Between Algeria and Morocco By contrast, De Mistura commended Mauritania's «positive neutrality», describing its stance as «neutral but not indifferent», and underlining that Nouakchott's participation remains essential to the success of the mediation process. The envoy also reiterated his warning about «negotiation fatigue», which, he said, risks paving the way for further polarization and military escalation with potentially devastating consequences. «This risk», he noted, «is fueled by persistent tensions between Morocco and Algeria, as well as by the worrying rearmament of both countries, in a climate of mistrust and strategic rivalry». In conclusion, De Mistura appealed directly to the Security Council to ensure that the next resolution on Western Sahara «clearly stipulates the need to engage in new negotiations by the end of 2025, while reaffirming the mandate of MINURSO as an indispensable instrument of stability and mediation on the ground, even in a reduced format».
