US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said on Tuesday that Washington supports the autonomy plan, proposed by Morocco in 2007, as a final solution to the conflict over the Moroccan Sahara.
"The United States continues to consider the Moroccan autonomy plan as serious, credible and realistic, and as an approach that can meet the aspirations of the people of the region," the diplomat said following talks with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita in Rabat.
Sherman commended King Mohammed VI’s leadership in advancing an “ambitious and far-reaching reform agenda.”
Later, the two sides expressed their "firm support" to the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary General, Staffan de Mistura, who is seeking to reinvigorate the UN-led political process for Western Sahara, said a joint statement issued following the meeting.
Bourita said discussions held with the US official were an opportunity to underline the clear and unwavering stance of Washington on the issue of the Moroccan sovereignty of the Sahara, and to highlight the role of the two countries in promoting regional and global peace.
Sherman said her country continues to view Morocco’s autonomy plan as serious, credible, and realistic, and a potential approach to satisfy the aspirations of the people of Western Sahara.
Bourita and Sherman also referred to the Joint Declaration, signed on December 22, 2020 by Morocco, the US and Israel, enshrining the US recognition of the full sovereignty of the Kingdom over its Sahara.
Sherman welcomed the continued deepening of relations between Morocco and Israel.
Also, the Deputy Secretary and Foreign Minister discussed the importance of protecting human rights, including freedom of expression, building on the productive September 2021 US-Morocco dialogue on human rights.
In a related development, Bourita described Sherman as a friend of the Kingdom and as a fundamental political actor in the development of Moroccan-American relations.
He said the visit of the US official, which coincided with International Women's Day, “was an opportunity to discuss the reforms undertaken in Morocco under the leadership of King Mohammed VI over the past 20 years, which have led to significant development in terms of promoting the status of women and their empowerment in social, economic and legal terms.”
The minister stressed that the two sides have noted the importance of the relations binding the two countries for more than 240 years, adding that these multidimensional ties cover the political, economic, security, military and human aspects.
He also reviewed a series of meetings planned with US officials over the coming months, including the visit of Secretary of State Anthony Blinken next May to chair the meeting of the Global Coalition against ISIS, and the meeting of the Afro-American Economic Forum, which will take place in July in Marrakech.
