Moroccan Autonomy Initiative, Approach That Meets Needs and Aspirations of Sahara Population – Blinken –

The autonomy initiative proposed by Morocco to end the conflict over the Sahara is an approach that meets the needs and aspirations of the Sahara population, said U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. “We find Morocco’s autonomy plan to be a credible, serious, and realistic plan, and I believe that it can respond to the needs and aspirations” of the population of the Sahara, stressed Blinken in an interview with the “Medi1 TV” channel. The American official expressed his country’s support for the personal envoy of the UN Secretary General, Staffan de Mistura, in the conduct of the political process on the Sahara issue, under the auspices of the United Nations. “The special envoy of the United Nations Secretary General Staffan de Mistura is conducting very important work, and we support him. We discussed this issue today with my colleague and friend Nasser Bourita. This is something that we will be following up on in the coming weeks,” said the U.S. Secretary of State. Regarding the appointment of Puneet Talwar by President Joe Biden as the new U.S. ambassador to Morocco, Blinken stressed that Talwar, whose nomination should still be approved by the Senate, will be “an exceptional ambassador for the United States and he will be exceptional for the ties between our two countries”. “He is a friend, a long-time friend, and we have worked together for 20 years. He is very close to President Biden (…) I trust him completely and President Biden trusts him completely,” he stressed. “How fortunate to come here to this remarkable country,” he said.