On Sunday and Monday, Madrid hosted a “secret” meeting on Western Sahara, with the participation of Morocco, Polisario, Algeria, and Mauritania, under American sponsorship and in coordination with the United Nations. Washington is seeking, according to leaks, to conclude an agreement soon to resolve this conflict that also includes the normalization of Moroccan-Algerian relations. However, this meeting raises questions about the fact that the Trump administration has withdrawn the rug from the United Nations regarding resolving international disputes.

Published on: 02/10/2026 - 17:10

On Sunday and Monday, the United States organized a multilateral meeting on Western Sahara in Madrid, with the participation of Morocco, the Polisario Front, Algeria, and Mauritania, according to what was reported by Spanish media.

The US mission to the United Nations confirmed in a post on the

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In this context, the Spanish newspaper El Pais explained that Rabat and Polisario agreed to a procedural road map presented by Washington in an effort to conclude a framework agreement next May in the United States.

Western Sahara and the normalization of Moroccan-Algerian relations

In response, Sidi Mohamed Tolba, France 24’s correspondent in Madrid, said that some leaks to Spanish newspapers, specifically El Confidential, including what was nominated by the participating delegations themselves, have shed light on precise details behind the scenes of the meeting, even though they remain unofficial.

The participation of the foreign ministers of Algeria and Morocco, the head of Polisario diplomacy, and the foreign minister of Mauritania were confirmed in the meeting. In a reading of what was published by the Spanish newspaper, Sidi Mohamed Tolba says that the American goal of these talks is “to reach, within a period of three months, a framework agreement to be signed in Washington” on this dispute, which also includes “the normalization of Moroccan-Algerian relations, including the reopening of the borders and the operation of the Maghreb-European gas pipeline.”

Read also: The Polisario Front is ready to agree to the Moroccan autonomy proposal if the Sahrawis accept it

A France 24 correspondent pointed out that the talks were scheduled for one day on Sunday, but were extended until Monday evening because all outstanding issues were not discussed and a major breakthrough was not achieved.

But did the representatives of the Polisario Front and Algeria sit at the same table with the representatives of Morocco? Labshir Mohamed Lahcen, a media researcher at the University of Seville, answers: “Neither the Spanish newspaper that leaked the news, nor the other newspapers, nor the parties participating in the meeting, fully revealed the content of the talks, and the fact whether they were conducted directly or only through intermediaries.”

Conflict resolution...has Washington pulled the rug out of the United Nations?

On the other hand, El Pais newspaper indicated that the secret meeting was held at the headquarters of the American Embassy in Madrid. She added that it was coordinated under the auspices of Trump's envoy for Africa and the Arab world, Masad Poulos, and the American envoy to the United Nations, Michael Waltz, in the presence of the UN envoy to Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura.

Regarding this issue, Labshir Mohamed Lahcen, a researcher, told France 24 that “the American administration decided that the meeting should be at the embassy headquarters and not the Foreign Ministry or any other place that could be determined by the host country (Spain), to keep the consultations confidential.”

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In any case, while the American side drew up the details of the meeting, even though it took place on Spanish territory, Washington’s entry into this conflict raises additional questions about its role, its impact, and the extent of the United Nations’ exit from the game.

Labshir Muhammad Lahcen believes that “the United States is seeking to pull the rug from the United Nations in this file, similar to other files such as Gaza and Ukraine. This applies even to the US State Department itself, as its role has become extremely marginal, whether in the Western Sahara issue or other issues, while mediation efforts are led by Trump’s personal envoys.”

What did the “secret” Madrid meeting achieve?

El Pais pointed out that the Madrid talks had reached a dead end regarding the tasks of the permanent technical committee of experts representing each party to the conflict, and it should have undertaken the evaluation of Morocco's plan for autonomy in Western Sahara, under UN and American supervision. The Spanish newspaper says that the reason is the Polisario's demand to expand the committee's mission to include all means of resolving the conflict.

In response, Sidi Mohamed Tolba said that it was expected that this committee would “study all the details about the framework agreement that Washington wants to reach. But Morocco wants this committee’s work to be limited to its plan for autonomy, while the Polisario says that other options should not be excluded.”

On the other hand, the Moroccan website Le Desk revealed an upcoming new meeting between the parties to the conflict that will be held “during the month of Ramadan in a location that has not been specified,” that is, in the period between mid-February and mid-March, “to try to reach a consensus on the committee of experts,” which appears to be an obstacle to the negotiations, citing sources close to the file, which the same website adds.

Read also: What is Morocco’s plan for autonomy in Western Sahara?

For reference, the Security Council voted last December 31, at an American initiative, in favor of the autonomy plan proposed by Rabat. But the Polisario Front and Algeria rejected this proposal.

The Kingdom controls the largest part of Western Sahara, and considers it part of its territory before it was subjected to Spanish colonialism in the late 19th century, and insists that this issue “will never be on the negotiating table.”

On the other hand, Polisario insists on holding a self-determination referendum, stipulated in the ceasefire agreement signed between the two parties in 1991 under UN sponsorship.

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