In an unexpected move, United States President Donald Trump fired his national security advisor John Bolton. His dismissal is good news for Morocco, which has been under pressure due to Bolton's frustration. President Donald Trump fired, Tuesday, John Bolton, the United States' national security advisor. The president's decision was announced through Twitter. «I informed John Bolton last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House. I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the Administration», Trump wrote. I informed John Bolton last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House. I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the Administration, and therefore.... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 10 septembre 2019 «I asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning. I thank John very much for his service. I will be naming a new National Security Advisor next week», he added. John Bolton spent one and a half year in office as Donald Trump's national security advisor. He was appointed on March 23, 2018. Although he did not stay much in office, the resignation of Bolton remains good news, especially as he did not hide his proximity with Algeria and the Polisario. The American behind the reduction of MINURSO's mandate A few days after taking office, he quickly addressed the Western Sahara issue, which was then examined by the Security Council. Against the recommendation of the Secretary-General of the UN and France, he forced the UN body to extend the mandate of MINURSO by only six months instead of one year. His intervention on the file would then be clarified, especially after the appointment in September 2018 of Horst Köhler, personal envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Western Sahara. He managed to convince the German to call for direct negotiations between Morocco and the Polisario. By the end, John Bolton's commitment to the Polisario did not pay off. Morocco has managed to «neutralize» it by fully aligning with the positions defended by Bolton on the international scene. This includes the break-off of Moroccan diplomatic relations with Iran on May 1, 2018 and the recognition of Juan Guaido as interim president of Venezuela. During this period, the Kingdom also multiplied its arms purchases from the United States. Last December, John Bolton bitterly acknowledged in statements to The New Yorker magazine that there are only two Americans who really care about the Western Sahara conflict, citing the name of James Baker, the former personal envoy the Secretary-General of the United Nations in the region (1997-2004) and himself.
