De Mistura is discussing with Russia ways to persuade Algeria to sit at the negotiating table.
Rabat - The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for the Sahara conflict, Staffan de Mistura, is moving these days to revive the political process in the Moroccan Sahara issue, but experts question the effectiveness of these moves in light of Algeria's negative handling of the file.
De Mistura held talks with Sergei Vershinin, the Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, during which the two sides discussed the visions of the parties involved in the conflict, and the extent of their serious involvement in efforts to settle it.
Russia has close relations with Algeria, and the United Nations hopes that Moscow will have a positive influence in terms of persuading Algeria to sit at the negotiating table.
According to a statement issued by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two sides exchanged views on the efforts made by the United Nations and the Special Envoy to revive the political process for the Sahara issue, the constraints it faces, and the Special Envoy's perception of how to launch it and the time required for that.
De Mistura's talks with Western parties come with the approaching date of his briefing before the Security Council next April, which will carry new rounds and efforts with various parties.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, said earlier that de Mistura continues his joint endeavors with all concerned.
Dujarric reaffirmed that the goal of de Mistura's efforts, which the Secretary-General of the UN monitors personally, is "to make progress towards achieving a just, sustainable, realistic and mutually acceptable solution to the Sahara issue, in line with the relevant Security Council resolutions."
The Munich Conference on Global Security, at the end of last week, constituted a station for discussing the latest developments in the issue of the Moroccan Sahara. On the sidelines of the conference, the UN envoy held consultations on the file with a number of European officials, including Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albaris, who renewed his country's support for the efforts aimed at an agreed solution. on him.
The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to the Sahara also held several important meetings with the Group of Friends of the Desert in the UN Security Council, on the sidelines of the fifty-ninth Munich Security Conference.
In this context, the Spanish Foreign Minister said, in a tweet to him on his Twitter account, that he had informed the Secretary-General of the United Nations of the “Spanish government’s firm support” for the United Nations’ efforts to find a compatible political solution to the Sahara conflict, after the Kingdom of Iberia confirmed Support for the plan to establish autonomy in the Moroccan desert.
Nabil Al-Andalousi, head of the Maghreb Center for Research and Studies, doubts that the moves of the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations will lead to any breakthrough, in light of the positions of the separatist Polisario Front and Algeria behind it.
Al-Andalusi indicated in statements to The Arab Weekly that since the beginning of this conflict until today, settlement efforts have faced Algerian maneuvers to complicate the file and evade any agreed political solution regarding it, explaining that the Algerian regime is still clinging to its refusal to sit at the dialogue table, despite Security Council resolutions. In this context, and his call on all parties to the conflict, including Algeria, to contribute constructively to finding a permanent political solution compatible with it.
For his part, Muhammad al-Tayyar, an academic researcher in strategic and security studies, confirmed in a statement to The Arab Weekly that the meetings of the UN envoy with a number of European officials on the issue of the Moroccan Sahara constitute one of the important stations in the international efforts aimed at finding a final political solution to the fabricated regional conflict in the regions. Moroccan south.
Returning to the Russian Foreign Ministry's statement, he confirmed that the conversation between de Mistura and the Russian official witnessed "emphasis on the importance of achieving a fair, long-term and mutually acceptable solution to this problem, on the basis of relevant UN Security Council resolutions in a way that serves the interests of all the peoples of the North African region."
The Russian side also stressed “the role of the United Nations Mission in the Desert in order to achieve stability, and its support for de Mistura’s efforts aimed at resuming the political process.” to resolve this long-standing conflict.
These meetings of the UN envoy come as a translation of international efforts and in implementation of the recent Security Council Resolution No. 2654 issued last October, which frames the work of the UN mission, as well as the commendable endeavors and efforts made by the Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy.
And with the geopolitical conditions the region is going through and in light of the tension and charged atmosphere between Morocco and Algeria, the mission of the UN envoy has become almost difficult to gather the parties concerned with this file in another round similar to the previous Geneva talks, which were led by his German predecessor Koehler.
Al-Andalusi suggested that the UN envoy's moves would not lead to any results or positive progress in the fabricated file.
Two months ago, de Mistura held a new diplomatic meeting with Yael Lambert, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs in the United States, to discuss developments in the file in light of the recent UN resolution that called on Algeria to participate in the round tables.
Sabri Al-Haw, an expert in international law and the Sahara conflict, believes that de Mistura's moves coincide with a large group of countries opening their consulates in the southern regions of Morocco and the American recognition of the legitimacy of Morocco's sovereignty over all of the Sahara and Spain's support as a colonial power for the region for the autonomy initiative is not just a coincidence. Rather, it is in line with the international will embodied on the ground and identical with Morocco's autonomy initiative. (al arab.co.uk) Muhammad Mamouni Alawi(Moroccan journalist)
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