The United States has submitted a draft resolution to the UN Security Council supporting Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara, increasing pressure on the Polisario Front and Algeria to resume negotiations. While the text is backed by Western powers, Algeria is counting on a possible Russian veto, despite recent diplomatic tensions between Algiers and Moscow. The rumors circulating in recent weeks are now being substantiated. Yabiladi has obtained excerpts from the draft resolution on the Western Sahara issue, presented by the United States to the UN Security Council members. The initial version of the text, put forward by the Trump administration, aligns firmly with Morocco's stance. The document formally calls on the Polisario Front to resume negotiations based on Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara. «Real autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the most relevant solution», asserts paragraph 4 of the text. The draft resolution «urges the parties to engage as soon as possible in negotiations based on the Moroccan autonomy proposal, as the only framework for talks to reach a solution accepted by the parties». In paragraph 5, the text acknowledges the appeal made by the UN Secretary-General's personal envoy for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, during his closed-door briefing on October 10 before the Security Council. He urged Morocco, Algeria, the Polisario, and Mauritania to resume the Round Table process by the end of 2025. The draft resolution further emphasizes that these discussions should be conducted «on the basis of the Moroccan autonomy plan, with a view to reaching a solution accepted by the parties before the end of the MINURSO mandate», set for January 31, 2026. The American proposal indeed recommends extending the MINURSO mandate until this date. This timeline is intended to exert unprecedented pressure on Algeria and the Polisario to return to the negotiating table. Negotiation deadline in 3 months The text proposed by Washington is already under consultation among certain Security Council members, including the United States, France, the United Kingdom, and Russia, who form the «Club of Friends of Western Sahara». Spain, as the region's former colonial power, also participates in this group. Meanwhile, Algeria and the Polisario are banking on a potential Russian veto to thwart the efforts made over several months by Washington, Paris, London, and Rabat to resolve the Sahara issue based on the autonomy initiative. It's a risky bet, as relations between Algiers and Moscow have been strained for several months, a situation that escalated this week following remarks by the Russian Foreign Minister on «the artificial borders of Algeria». Sergey Lavrov's comments have sparked widespread indignation in Algeria, receiving extensive media coverage, yet there have been no official statements to ease tensions with Moscow.
