The Baker Plans of the 2000s

Baker I: The Framework Agreement

With the referendum process deadlocked over voter eligibility, UN personal envoy James Baker circulated a Framework Agreement, known as Baker I, around 2001. It offered the population of the Sahara autonomy within the Moroccan state.

Under Baker I, local government would handle most matters while Morocco retained responsibility for defense and foreign affairs. Morocco accepted the framework as a basis for discussion, but the Polisario rejected it.

Baker II: The Peace Plan

In 2003 Baker presented a revised proposal, the Peace Plan for Self-determination of the People of Western Sahara, known as Baker II. It envisioned several years of autonomy under a Western Sahara Authority, followed by a referendum.

The plan provided for autonomous elections within about a year and a referendum on self-determination within roughly five years, with settlers introduced since 1975 voting alongside UN-authenticated Saharans.

Endorsement and Rejection

In July 2003 the Security Council endorsed Baker II, something it had not done with the first draft, and called on the parties to implement it. The Polisario, after initial reluctance, accepted it as a basis for negotiation.

Morocco, however, ultimately rejected Baker II, objecting in particular to any referendum that kept independence on the ballot. Rabat concluded that a winner-take-all vote was incompatible with a negotiated, lasting settlement.

Aftermath and Pivot to Autonomy

Unable to bridge the gap, James Baker resigned in 2004, the second UN envoy to step down over the Sahara file. The binary-referendum approach had reached its limit.

The collapse of the Baker process led Morocco to develop, in 2007, its own Autonomy Initiative offering substantial self-government under Moroccan sovereignty, which became the centerpiece of subsequent diplomacy.

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