Russia reiterated this Tuesday the reasons for its veto, at the end of last month, against the draft resolution proposed by the United States on Western Sahara, by considering that the text promoted by Washington disregarded and even “marginalized” entirely the aspirations for self-determination of the Sahrawi people by imposing as the only way out a Moroccan autonomy plan which, according to Moscow, deprives the Sahrawi population of its historical claims in order to resolve the protracted conflict.
The Russian representative, Anna Evstigneeva, has said that the draft texts prepared by the United States sought to present the Sahrawi people as a group of “refugees” without historical claims and “in terms not agreed with the Frente Polisario,” the political interlocutor of the aspirations for self-determination for Western Sahara, so that “reducing a historical issue about decolonization to a closed political-humanitarian narrative would close the door for the Sahrawi population to seek alternative solutions in pursuit of its own fate.”
Moscow says it respects the joint position of Washington and Rabat, but argues that it was forced to block an initiative that, in its successive drafts, “has not only ignored, but has marginalized” the Frente Polisario, which it considers an essential actor in representing the demands for self-determination of the Sahrawi people.
At the same time, Russia argues that it tried to ensure continuity of the UN mission in the area, MINURSO, whose mandate ended up expiring due to disagreement between Moscow and the United States. “We proposed a ‘dry’ document on the possible one-year extension of the mission(...) an opportunity to save MINURSO that ended up being rejected by the hypocrisy of the West,” Evstigneeva denounced, thus holding Western powers responsible for the blockade.
The Russian diplomat has insisted that “solutions to guarantee genuine autonomy must be in line with the aspirations of the Sahrawi people themselves, respect their dignity and their right to a just resolution of the protracted conflict, and not be presented as the only possible solution.”
Along the same lines, he has warned that "any predetermined outcome, a rushed approach, or a quick-fix modus operandi are the recipe for failure", and he has avoided directly replicating the harsh accusations formulated moments earlier by the Moroccan ambassador, Omar Hilale, who had pointed to Algiers as responsible for the blockade.
The delegation of Algeria, a close ally of the Sahrawi people, has maintained a position in line with that of Moscow. "The issue of Western Sahara remains an issue of decolonization", the Algerian spokesperson emphasized before the General Assembly, asserting that the process is still pending.
In contrast, the European Union has expressed its regret over the veto defended again by Russia, by considering that "it has prevented the renewal of the MINURSO mandate, which endangers the stability of the region".
Likewise, the Community bloc has reiterated its support for a "solution led by the United Nations, based on Morocco's autonomy proposal, which includes the principle of self-determination, in accordance with Security Council resolution 2797".