The Sahrawi Movement for Peace (MSP) has a busy schedule in Washington
A delegation from the Sahrawi Movement for Peace (MSP) has been in the US capital since September 28, where it is carrying out an extensive agenda of meetings with members of Congress and the Senate, both Democrats and Republicans, as well as with legislative advisors and specialists from institutions dedicated to international relations and the study of conflicts
The delegation, composed of the first secretary of the MSP, Hach Ahmed, and the head of International Relations, Mohammed Cherif, was received at the Capitol by senior officials from various offices of Congress and the Senate, and representatives of committees dedicated to human rights and foreign policy.
Meetings were also held with former senior officials from the State Department, analysts from renowned American think tanks, and experts in security and international politics, where the situation in Western Sahara was discussed on the eve of the next UN Security Council meeting, scheduled for the end of October. At that session, a decision will be made on the mandate of MINURSO and the good offices mission of the Secretary-General's personal envoy, Staffan de Mistura, who will present a report on his efforts to find a political solution to the conflict.
During the talks, the MSP delegation presented the project and approach of the new Sahrawi political organization as a “third way” committed to a pragmatic and moderate vision for the resolution of the conflict. In this regard, it reaffirmed its willingness to contribute to the efforts of the United Nations and influential countries to achieve a peaceful and lasting solution to a problem that continues to affect the stability of North-West Africa.
The MSP representatives expressed their rejection of the armed approach promoted by the Polisario Front, pointing out that such a strategy only increases human suffering, especially among the Sahrawi population living in refugee camps. “It is time for the international community to support this new and emerging Sahrawi political force, which is committed to dialogue, compromise, and peaceful coexistence,” they stressed.
When asked about the autonomy proposal presented by Morocco in 2007, MSP leaders described it as a “promising initiative,” considering it a valid basis for exploring a compromise solution, a “win-win” formula that guarantees the fundamental rights of the Sahrawi people and the vital interests of Morocco, while ensuring peace and stability in the region.
In this context, the MSP stressed that it has prepared a draft counter-offer that it is willing to present in the political process led by the UN envoy, with the aim of avoiding further deadlock and offering prospects for success to a peace mission that, according to many observers, is one of the longest and most unproductive on the African continent.
This is the MSP's first official visit to the United States since its creation in April 2020. The meetings held, the receptiveness of the US interlocutors, and the topics discussed reflect a highly positive outcome, which, together with the Movement's recent admission to the Socialist International, confirms its growing international profile and the relevance of its political and diplomatic advances.