At a meeting with Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and US Ambassador to Morocco Puneet Talwar in Rabat on Tuesday, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for North Africa (DAS) Joshua Harris said that the United States continues to view Morocco’s Autonomy Plan for the Sahara as “serious, credible, and realistic,” and “one potential approach to meet the aspirations of the people” of the Sahara, according to a statement issued by the US Embassy in Morocco. Harris also affirmed the US’s full support for the UN Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General Staffan de Mistura.
Harris discussed his recent regional travels, and the importance of engaging with the Personal Envoy in a spirit of “realism and compromise” as he intensifies efforts to achieve an “enduring and dignified” political solution to the Sahara dispute.
DAS Harris expressed the United States’ appreciation for Morocco’s engagement on many regional and global concerns, including tackling Sahel instability, supporting Libyan elections, and encouraging equal levels of freedom, security, and prosperity for Israelis and Palestinians.
During the meeting, the officials highlighted the “deep and historic” partnership between Morocco and the USA.