Once again, Algeria attributes comments on the Sahara issue to the American Department of State, following a call between Antony Blinken and Ahmed Attaf. On January 6, the US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke on the phone with Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf to «consult on a range of global priorities». These priorities did not include the Sahara issue, according to the press release issued by the US State Department on the phone call. In Algeria, however, the Foreign Minister claims that the territorial dispute was part of the main issues discussed during the call. In a press release, the Algerian Foreign Ministry states that said phone call was «an opportunity to exchange views and hold in-depth consultations on many of the issues on the Security Council's agenda of this month». The Algerian Ministry said the two senior diplomats discussed «threats to Red Sea maritime security, the situation in besieged Gaza strip and the need of speeding the process of achieving a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue, based on a two-state solution». Moreover, the Algerian press release indicated that Blinken and Attaf also discussed the «Western Sahara issue, and the need of strengthening the United States' involvement in supporting the political process, led by the United Nations». The US Department of State said in its press release that during their phone call on Saturday, Secretary Blinken «welcomed Algeria to the UN Security Council and reiterated appreciation for the close cooperation on issues before the Council». «They discussed threats to Red Sea maritime security and the importance of increasing humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza», the same source reported. The press release indicated that the «Secretary reiterated the United States' position that there should be no forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza and our commitment to working toward broader, lasting regional peace that ensures Israel's security and advances the establishment of a Palestinian state». An Algerian tradition Unlike, the Algerian side, the press release did not refer to the Western Sahara issue. This is not the first time that Algerian diplomacy attributes statements on the subject to American diplomats. In August, after a meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries, the Algerian Foreign Ministry said that Attaf and Blinken «discussed the latest developments in the Western Sahara issue, renewing their support for the efforts of the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Staffan de Mistura, aimed at enabling the two parties to the conflict to engage seriously and without preconditions in the political process led by the United Nations», insinuating that Algiers is a mere observer in the conflict and that the only two parties are Morocco and the Polisario. Shortly after that, the US Department of State responded to that by publishing a press release, indicating that that Blinken «reiterated full support for Personal Envoy of the Secretary General Staffan de Mistura as he consults intensively with all concerned to achieve a political solution for Western Sahara». In December, Algeria repeated the same thing, following the visit of US Deputy Assistant Secretary for North Africa Joshua Harris. Interviewed during his visit to Algeria, newspaper Algérie Maintenant attributed comments to Joshua Harris that he did not make on the Sahara issue. The matter was not limited to Washington. In July 2023, after President Abdelmadjid Tebboune's visit to Beijing, the Algerian presidency attributed to China «support for self-determination for the people of Western Sahara». However, the Chinese government did not indicate in its statement after the visit that it had changed its position on the Sahara conflict. It is noteworthy that the United States recognizes Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara, and Algeria and the Polisario are trying to downplay the importance of this recognition by describing it as a «Trump tweet», in reference to the former US president's tweet in which he announced a change in his country's position on the conflict and support for Moroccan sovereignty over the territory.
