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Discussions on the Western Sahara issue, held on February 23 and 24 in the United States under the auspices of the Trump administration, are advancing slowly but steadily. The objective is to reach a framework agreement between the parties in the coming months, a prospect that now appears increasingly within reach.
According to information obtained by Yabiladi, this new round of talks has helped bridge disagreements that surfaced during earlier meetings on February 8 and 9 at the U.S. Embassy in Madrid.
Among the notable developments, the process for appointing the president of the future autonomous region has been clarified. The president would be elected by the regional parliament and formally appointed by the King, in accordance with the Moroccan Constitution.
Progress has also been made on the electoral framework. The year 2015 could serve as a reference point for resolving disputes over voter eligibility. Residents who settled in the region after that date would be granted the right to vote but would not be eligible to hold public office until the end of a five-year transitional period, rather than the ten years initially proposed by the Polisario Front.
A three-block distribution of power
The proposed institutional structure for autonomy envisions a balanced distribution of power among three groups: the Polisario Front, Sahrawis residing in the region, and Moroccans who have settled in the province. Each group would hold a «blocking third», a constitutional safeguard designed to prevent major decisions from being adopted without broad consensus. This legal framework would ultimately be submitted to a referendum.
During previous talks in Madrid, the Polisario delegation reportedly suggested the creation of a «unified Sahrawi party», bringing together its members and Sahrawis from the region, some of whom had previously been labeled «traitors» by the movement.
Key positions within the future autonomous government would be reserved for members of the Sahrawi tribes recognized in Spain’s 1974 census, ensuring representation of indigenous social components within decision-making bodies.
The same Spanish census would also serve to identify Sahrawis in the Tindouf camps eligible to return to the province, a group Morocco estimates at around 20,000 people.
Additionally, the Tarfaya region could be incorporated into the proposed autonomous territory, given the close tribal and social ties linking its population to that of the Sahara.
This latest round of negotiations in the United States confirms that the four stakeholders, Morocco, Algeria, the Polisario Front, and Mauritania, are now examining the Moroccan autonomy initiative as the sole basis for discussion.
Last week, Trump’s adviser for Arab and African affairs, Massad Boulos, applied explicit pressure on Algeria and the Polisario. «The discussions on Western Sahara will not drag on», he warned in an interview with France 24 Arabic.
