At the Madrid meeting, the so-called «alternative proposals» were once again ruled out. The four parties are expected to resume negotiations in May in Washington. United States Embassy in Madrid (Spain) ‹ › As announced on Saturday, the United States Embassy in Madrid hosted a meeting on Sunday, February 8, bringing together the parties concerned by the Western Sahara issue. Representatives from Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, and the Polisario Front attended the talks, alongside Staffan de Mistura, the UN Secretary-General's personal envoy for Western Sahara. According to a source close to the discussions contacted by Yabiladi, this first round underscored the centrality of Morocco's autonomy initiative. The US delegation succeeded in securing acknowledgment, including from Algeria, of a so-called «technical document», which treats Morocco's updated 40-page autonomy proposal as the sole reference framework for technical discussions. This move effectively sidelined what the source described as «alternative proposals» previously backed by Algiers and the Polisario. The four parties also agreed to establish a Permanent Technical Committee, made up of legal experts from Morocco, Algeria, and Mauritania, operating under joint US and UN supervision. The committee will be tasked with examining the practical modalities of implementing autonomy in the Sahara, particularly with regard to taxation, the judicial system, and local security arrangements. Algerian delegation avoids public exposure The US delegation also secured agreement in principle to reconvene in Washington next May, with the aim of reaching a political «framework agreement». Despite progress seen as favorable to Rabat, tensions persisted, according to the same source. Washington reportedly pushed for a group photograph including Nasser Bourita, Ahmed Attaf, senior US officials, and Staffan de Mistura. The Algerian delegation, however, refused to appear alongside its Moroccan counterpart, viewing such an image as implying political normalization ahead of a final settlement. As a result, the photo was abandoned, and the Algerian delegation reportedly left the venue through a back entrance to avoid media exposure. Another point of disagreement concerned the interpretation of «self-determination». Morocco reiterated that it is exercised through autonomy, while Algeria sought to maintain its traditional formulation. Here again, US pressure reportedly tipped the balance toward the Moroccan position. At the conclusion of the meeting, Morocco emerged as the diplomatic beneficiary, having succeeded in imposing a discourse of «political realism» and positioning its autonomy plan as the sole basis for future talks. The United States, for its part, consolidated its role as the only actor capable of bringing all four parties to the same negotiating table on this sensitive issue. Algeria has so far remained silent on the precise purpose of Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf's visit to Madrid. In contrast, in the Tindouf camps, Bachir Mustapha Sayed criticized the talks in an article published on Sunday, denouncing negotiations that do not explicitly guarantee what he termed «the self-determination of the Sahrawi people». The Madrid meeting thus marks a shift in approach: from a long-frozen conflict dominated by ideological positions to a process that is increasingly structured, technical, and conducted under firm American supervision.
