The former Mauritanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohamed Vall Ould Bilal, expressed his hope for the continuation of diplomatic momentum around the Sahara dispute file, and America's ability to continue to pressure, be present, and influence the parties to the dispute, with a European presence supported by the international community until the next round, scheduled for next May in Washington, which may lead to a solution to the dispute.
Ould Bilal believes that if American sponsorship slows down or is abandoned for one reason or another, the file will return to traditional stagnation, but it will be a managed and framed stagnation.
Ould Bilal described – in his statement commenting on the recent Madrid meetings on the file – the framed stagnation as one that will gradually ease field tension, and even media tension, and through which diplomatic relations will improve in the region without reaching a solution.
Ould Bilal, 70 years old, hails from the M'ghatt Lahjar region in the Brakna Governorate, in eastern Mauritania. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs after the July 10, 1978 coup that overthrew Mauritanian President Moktar Ould Daddah.
Ould Bilal mentioned that the events revolve between two positions: the position that says we are on the verge of an imminent solution to the Sahara dispute, and the position that says there is nothing new in it. The reality, according to him, is that there is no definitive solution, but rather something new, which is a clear indication of the transition from a phase of stagnation to a phase of serious testing of the parties concerned.
Ould Bilal spoke about the presence of direct American involvement, instead of just supporting the United Nations process as before, noting that the Madrid meetings represent a new phase that has opened with American presence and by moving the issue and testing the parties, and this does not mean, in his view, a final solution.
ولد بلال described the American presence as stemming from the fact that the sovereignty of the territory has been settled, and those who owned it have been surpassed, moving to how the territory will be managed in its new situation, how institutions and administrations will be, how resources will be exploited in relations with other parties in the region, and so on.
ولد بلال mentioned that the Polisario Front is discussing these issues, and it is committed to its original position. However, diplomacy requires flexibility, adaptation, keeping pace with international public opinion, and understanding where things are heading.
ولد بلال affirmed that Mauritania's presence is necessary and essential because it is objectively concerned with the conflict, even if it is not a party to it. The "Lagouira" region, with its resources and potential, opens it up to politics, economic development, and growth, and is considered a natural outlet for the economic capital, Nouadhibou. It is not in Mauritania's interest for it to fall into other hands in an unstudied manner.
He went on to emphasize that this is an example, not to mention the borders and their security and protection, along their length and width, where military forces, revolutionary movements, and prospectors move. Protecting them and knowing their fate is very important, stressing that Mauritania is concerned with what will be the outcome of events.
ولد بلال suggested that Mauritania should take the initiative to organize an international conference on its neutrality towards the conflicts around it, in "the context of the soft and gentle diplomatic boom" that the country is experiencing, according to him.
ولد بلال mentioned that this should be the diplomatic orientation now, because there is no party that can accuse the country of anything that prevents it from being recognized as a neutral state in the surrounding conflicts.
The former Mauritanian Foreign Minister pointed out that neutrality is not a political and diplomatic concept, but rather a legal concept, a status granted by the parties to the conflict under certain conditions, and not a word that one claims for oneself.
Mauritania has been described as being "in a state of self-distancing from the conflict and its parties, in what we call positive neutrality," at a time when no one says it is not neutral, nor does anyone objectively and officially recognize its neutrality, which would result in an international diplomatic status that grants it rights and obliges it to duties.
The Spanish capital, Madrid, hosted last weekend a series of important diplomatic meetings held by the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, which included his Mauritanian counterpart, Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug, and the Algerian counterpart, Ahmed Attaf. This was followed by discussions on the Sahara file at the US Embassy in Madrid, in the presence of the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita. The meeting was attended by the senior advisor to the US President, Mashaal Polus, along with Washington's ambassador to the UN, Michael Waltz. The UN envoy to the Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, also attended, as did a delegation from the separatist "Polisario Front." This comes at a time when Mauritania is keen to adhere to what it calls "positive neutrality," while supporting UN efforts to find a mutually agreed-upon political solution, in accordance with Security Council resolutions and the role of the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, Staffan de Mistura.
In contrast to this movement, Morocco continues to mobilize international support for the autonomy initiative as a final and credible solution, which enjoys increasing support from influential regional and international powers, while Algeria appears to be continuing its approach of rejecting any realistic settlement outside its traditional framework.
