A new round of talks on the Western Sahara dispute opens Monday in Washington, bringing together Morocco, Algeria, the Polisario Front and Mauritania, according to diplomatic sources. The two-day negotiations, scheduled for February 23 and 24, come just two weeks after a similar round held in Madrid on February 8 and 9, signaling an acceleration of diplomatic efforts led by the United States.
Diplomatic sources told Assahifa English that the organization of a second round of negotiations within such a short timeframe reflects Washington’s determination to push toward a final settlement before the end of this year. The same sources indicated that the United States aims to have a comprehensive framework in place to resolve the dispute on the basis of Morocco’s autonomy proposal ahead of the United Nations Security Council’s final session on the Western Sahara file on October 31, 2026.
According to the sources, discussions in Washington are focused on reaching a formula acceptable to the parties, particularly Morocco and the Polisario Front, around the autonomy initiative presented by Rabat as the highest and most realistic ceiling for ending the conflict. The Moroccan proposal envisions granting broad self-governing powers to the region under Moroccan sovereignty.
The United States is expected to exert pressure on Algeria and the Polisario Front to accept the autonomy plan as the most realistic foundation for a lasting solution, the sources added. They stressed that Washington views the initiative as a pragmatic path forward after nearly five decades of deadlock.
Days ago, Massad Boulos, an adviser to the U.S. president, said that the Madrid talks and the subsequent negotiation rounds are being held within the framework of the United Nations Security Council resolution adopted on October 31, 2025, which calls on the parties concerned to engage in negotiations on the basis of Morocco’s autonomy proposal.
All indications, according to diplomatic sources, point to a firm U.S. resolve to bring the decades-long dispute to an end, with Washington seeking to shape a final settlement architecture before the Security Council’s decisive session in late 2026.
