Algeria, for its part, responded by announcing that it was withdrawing its ambassador in Paris “with immediate effect.” The Polisario Front recalled that “it is the Sahrawi people, and not France or any other country, that decides the present and future of Western Sahara.”
The Moroccan royal cabinet announced on Tuesday France’s support for the autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty for Western Sahara, which Morocco presented to the UN, stating that it is the “only basis” for resolving the conflict.
In a statement, the Royal Cabinet announced that this support is officially expressed a letter sent by French President Emmanuel Macron to King Mohammed VI on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of his accession to the thronewhich will take place this Tuesday, in which France considers that “the present and future of Western Sahara are part of the framework of Moroccan sovereignty.”
For its part, the Polisario Front He recalled that it is “the Sahrawi people, and not France or any other country, that decides the present and future of Western Sahara.” In a statement by the Polisario Ambassador to the UN, Sidi Mohamed Omar, he recalled that “neither France nor Morocco can bend the will of the Sahrawi people,” and pledged that they “will continue to fight by all means for their independence.” legitimate.
According to Omar, France’s position is contrary to international law, and more specifically to its obligations as a permanent member of the Security Council, as it openly supports “the illegal occupation of Western Sahara (while) it is a territory awaiting decolonization”.
With his statements, Omar alludes to the fact that the conflict in Western Sahara falls within the powers of the Security Council, which annually extends the UN mission in the area (Minorso), which arrived in 1991 to theoretically organize a referendum and which now limits itself to monitoring a ceasefire.
The turn that France has taken today has already had diplomatic consequences: today Algeria – a strong international supporter of the Polisario Front – has announced that it will withdraw its ambassador to Paris “with immediate effect.”
“The French government finally gave its open and categorical support to the colonial fact imposed on Western Sahara. (This step that) no other French government had previously considered necessary to take, the current one did.” with great lightness and great frivolitywithout clearly measuring all possible consequences,” the Algerian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
France follows in the footsteps of Spain and the US.
The French change of position comes two years later Spainthe former colonial power of Western Sahara, has taken a similar step in its foreign policy, stating that Morocco’s autonomy plan is “the most serious, realistic and credible basis” to resolve the controversy.
In December 2020, then-US President Donald Trump recognized Moroccan sovereignty over the territory of Western Sahara in exchange for normalizing its diplomatic relations with Israel, which also recognizes the country.
Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
