^{French President Emmanuel Macron and Morocco’s King Mohammed VI. Photo}

France has endorsed a plan for Western Sahara’s autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty as the sole resolution to the longstanding territorial dispute, Middle East Monitor reports on July 30th. President Emmanuel Macron stated this in a letter to the King of Morocco.

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The dispute, originating in 1975, involves Morocco, which claims Western Sahara as its territory, against the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, which asserts it is an independent state. As the former colonial power in the region, France has navigated a diplomatic tightrope between Rabat and Algiers. Most of France’s Western allies have already expressed support for Morocco’s plan.

For France, autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the framework within which this issue must be resolved.

Our support for the autonomy plan proposed by Morocco in 2007 is clear and constant. For France, it now constitutes the only basis for achieving a just, lasting and negotiated political solution in accordance with the resolutions of the UN Security Council.

-Macron told King Mohammed VI.

The Royal Palace in Rabat welcomed the announcement, calling it a “significant development in support of Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara.” In his letter, Macron stated that he viewed “the present and future of Western Sahara within the framework of Morocco’s sovereignty” and affirmed that Paris would align its domestic and international actions with this stance.

Middle East Monitor and agencies