Moroccan FM meets UN Envoy ahead of UN Security Council meeting on Western Sahara

Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita met UN Envoy for Western Sahara Staffan de Mistura in Rabat on Monday as part of De Mistura’s regional tour ahead of UN Security Council consultations on the dispute in mid-April.

According to Moroccan media, Morocco’s delegation, including Ambassador Omar Hilale, emphasized growing international support for its claim over Western Sahara and reiterated King Mohammed VI’s call for the UN to recognize Morocco’s autonomy proposal as the only viable solution. 

The king, in a speech last November, criticized opponents of Morocco’s sovereignty over the region as clinging to “outdated narratives.” Rabat maintains that its 2007 Autonomy Plan is the sole basis for a political resolution, rejecting Polisario Front-backed independence efforts.

Bourita reaffirmed Morocco’s backing for UN-led mediation but insisted that any solution must align with Morocco’s territorial integrity, a position increasingly endorsed by key international actors.