Macron offers Morocco king olive branch over Sahara
A three year row between France and Morocco seems to have ended, following a bold move by Emmanual Macron to appear to recognize Morocco’s territorial claims to Western Sahara.
According to the French state news agency AFP, France recognizes a plan for autonomy for the Western Sahara region under Moroccan sovereignty “as the only way of resolving a long-running dispute over the territory”, President Emmanuel Macron said in a letter on the 30th July.
The remarkable diplomatic stunt could open up a sluice of French investment and thaw relations between Paris and Rabat, not to mention relieve the strict immigration laws which Macron imposed on all Moroccans wishing to visit France since 2021 when the French president accused Morocco or using Pegasus spy software on him and a number of his officials. The real falling out occurred when Macron was reported to have been disrespectful to the Moroccan king on a visit to Rabat in 2021.
And yet, all this could be water under the bridge if Paris uses its diplomatic skills internationally to lobby for Morocco’s blueprint to be adopted by the UN, which, essentially gives a certain autonomy to the disputed region whilst keeping it Moroccan.
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.
France, as the former colonial power in the region, has walked a diplomatic tightrope between Rabat and Algiers on the issue, particularly with Macron who wants to keep good relations with Algeria, recently agreeing to arrest an Algerian activist to keep President Tebboune humoured.
Most of France’s Western allies already back Morocco’s plan although it is seldom reported that they do so on the condition that the indigenous people of the region hold a referendum on their own destiny at some point – a sticking point which diplomatic buffs know the King of Morocco would never agree to.
Even Macron’s letter appears to support Rabat, but only to a certain point, using the word “framework”.
“For France, autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the framework within which this issue must be resolved,” according to the letter sent by Macron to Morocco’s King Mohammed VI.
“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 views Western Sahara as part of Morocco’s present and future sovereignty, adding that France would act according to this position domestically and internationally.
The Royal Palace in a statement welcomed the announcement as a “significant development in support of Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara.”
Unsurprisingly, Algeria expressed “great regret” and strongly denounced Paris’ decision, adding there would be consequences, without giving details.
Algeria has recognized the Polisario’s self-proclaimed Sahrawi republic and backed a United Nations plan for a referendum with independence as an option.
That referendum never took place due however to disagreements over who should vote and how it should be conducted in the early 90s and there appears to be no changes on the Moroccan side. Spain, the former colonial power in Western Sahara, said in 2022 it backs Morocco’s autonomy plan.
The US, Israel and Arab monarchies also back Morocco’s sovereignty over the territory, where 28 mostly African and Arab countries have opened consulates in what Rabat sees as tangible support, although in the case of African missions, Maghrebi understands that it is often Rabat which pays the bills.
AFP/France 24/Maghrebi/Reuters
