Lana Nusseibeh's UN Candidacy: What Rabat Expects From It, According to Le7tv
According to Le7tv, the candidacy of Lana Nusseibeh, proposed by the United Arab Emirates for UN Secretary-General, could be watched closely in Rabat as well as in Algiers. The outlet, however, refuses to conclude that Algeria formally opposes it.
On 26 October, Le7tv wrote that Lana Nusseibeh's candidacy for the post of UN Secretary-General "could be watched with particular attention in Rabat as well as in Algiers, without this alone allowing one to conclude that there is a formal Algerian opposition to her appointment". The United Arab Emirates proposed this candidacy on Wednesday 21 October.
Lana Nusseibeh is a Secretary of State at the Emirati Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Until now, she was Special Envoy to the UN and the European Union, Le Monde notes in its edition of 24 October.
A candidacy in an open succession
On 22 October, La Libre Belgique reported the candidate's statement: "I am standing for the post of Secretary-General because I believe the time has come to act with greater urgency: to intervene earlier, to bring individuals together across their differences and to press on until concrete results are achieved".
Le Monde places this announcement in a succession with no clear favourite. The negotiations have been going on for months, and the second term of the Portuguese Antonio Guterres ends on 31 December.
What the facts show
La Libre reports that none of the seven candidates in the running has convinced the five permanent members of the Security Council. On 16 October, each of them received at least one negative vote from a member holding the right of veto.
Le Monde notes that the UAE's bid to lead the Secretariat "immediately drew numerous criticisms". La Libre, for its part, cites Radio France Internationale, for which "a candidacy from the Gulf can be justified" and could mark a "turning point in this election". RFI describes this candidacy as a "surprise". It adds an argument in the candidate's favour: since the start of the war in Iran, the Emirates have stood alongside Washington and Israel against Tehran.
There are also reservations. According to La Libre, the candidacy could "make Israel or other countries balk, suspecting the UAE's involvement in the war in Sudan".
Le7tv, for its part, sets limits on its own reading. The outlet writes that the exact details of the blockages mentioned around the candidacies, and the number of candidacies concerned, "nevertheless require confirmation from reliable sources". It also refuses to infer a formal Algerian opposition. Lastly, it recalls that the Secretary-General exercises his responsibilities within the framework of the United Nations Charter and must take account of the decisions of the competent bodies, notably the Security Council.
Abu Dhabi and Rabat: a foundation on the Sahara
For Le7tv, the link between the two capitals rests on a specific fact. The Emirates "support Morocco's territorial integrity and have opened a consulate general in Laayoune, a diplomatic gesture that embodies their position on this issue".
The outlet contrasts this position with that of Algeria, which backs the Polisario Front. It also places the issue within the disagreements between Abu Dhabi and Algiers over several African questions, notably Libya and Sudan. According to Le7tv, the candidacy is thus "at the heart of several geopolitical stakes, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa".
What Rabat can expect
Le7tv suggests two possible effects. An appointment of Lana Nusseibeh "could strengthen the visibility of a diplomacy coming from a partner country of Morocco at the head of the international organisation". It would also open a sequence in which Rabat "would necessarily follow the evolution of the future Secretary-General's positions on major international issues, including the Moroccan Sahara".
Expectation has its limits, however, according to the same outlet. Any interest this candidacy might hold for Morocco would depend "less on the candidate's nationality than on her public positions, her diplomatic practice and her ability to handle the Sahara issue within the framework of the United Nations". Le7tv thus separates the Emirates' political support from the institutional role of the Secretary-General.
Antonio Guterres's term ends on 31 December.
Sources
- •Le7tv (fr.le7tv.ma), 26 October 2026
- •Le Monde (lemonde.fr), 24 October 2026
- •La Libre Belgique (lalibre.be), 22 October 2026
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