France formally backs Morocco’s Western Sahara claim

France has told Morocco it backs its claim over Western Sahara. As the former colonial power in the region, it has walked a diplomatic tightrope between Rabat and Algiers on the issue. Most of France's Western allies already back Morocco's plan. News24 reports that President Emmanuel Macron told King Mohammed VI that his country's claim on the territory is ‘the only basis for achieving a just, lasting and negotiated political solution’. Algeria immediately withdrew its ambassador from France. The dispute, dating back to 1975, pits Morocco, which considers Western Sahara its own territory, against the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, which seeks an independent state there. ‘For France, autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the framework within which this issue must be resolved,’ according to the letter sent by Macron to the monarch. ‘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 line with the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.’ Macron said Paris viewed Western Sahara as part of Morocco's present and future sovereignty, adding that France would act according to this position domestically and internationally. The Moroccan Royal Palace in a statement welcomed the announcement as a ‘significant development in support of Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara.’