WASHINGTON DC, NOV 2 /DNA/ – The UN Security Council on Friday approved a US-backed resolution declaring Morocco’s plan for Western Sahara the “most feasible solution” to resolve the long-standing conflict. Of the 15 members of the Council, 11 voted in favor of the resolution, drafted by the United States.

Russia, China, and Pakistan abstained, while Algeria did not participate in the vote. The Council also renewed for one year the mandate of the peacekeeping force in the region, known as MINURSO.

The United States’ permanent representative to the UN, Mike Waltz, said that Washington welcomed this “historic vote, which seizes this unique moment and builds on the momentum for a long-awaited peace in Western Sahara.”. The United States is “deeply committed” to supporting a mutually acceptable solution in the region and resolving this long-standing conflict, Waltz said.

“We urge all parties to take advantage of the coming weeks to come to the negotiating table and engage in serious discussions, using Morocco’s credible and realistic autonomy proposal as the sole basis for a just and lasting solution to the dispute,” he added.

Amar Bendjama, Algeria’s permanent representative to the UN, explained that Algeria did not participate in the vote on the draft resolution because it “does not sufficiently reflect” the UN doctrine on decolonization.

“A just and lasting solution can only be achieved by respecting the inalienable right of the people of Western Sahara to decide their own future. This is the only guarantee of genuine peace and lasting stability in the region,” Bendjama told the Council.

Furthermore, the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI, welcomed the Council’s resolution, stating in a televised address that Rabat would update and resubmit the plan to the UN as “the only basis for negotiation and the only viable solution to the dispute”. The king called for dialogue with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and reaffirmed his commitment to reviving the Arab Maghreb Union. The Western Sahara issue has been a source of tension between Algeria and Morocco for approximately five decades.

The conflict began in 1975, following Spain’s withdrawal, and the confrontation between Morocco and the pro-independence Polisario Front escalated into an armed struggle that lasted until 1991, when a ceasefire agreement was signed. In 2007, Morocco proposed an autonomy status for the region under its sovereignty, while the Polisario Front called for an independence referendum.