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Moroccan king invites Macron for state visit after Western Sahara position

Both the Polisario and Algeria condemned the French position.

• August 1, 2024
King Mohammed VI having a conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron
King Mohammed VI having a conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron [Photo credit: Hespress EN]

King Mohammed VI invited French President Emmanuel Macron for an official visit after Paris announced a position in support of Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara.

This came in a letter from the king to Macron, welcoming Paris’s “clear support for Morocco’s sovereignty over this part of its territory.”

The Western Sahara dispute, dating back to 1975, pits Morocco, which considers the territory as its own, against the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, seeking an independent state there.

Macron had sent a letter to the King on Tuesday recognizing the Moroccan autonomy plan as the “only basis” to reach a political solution to the conflict, while considering “the present and the future of Western Sahara within the framework of Morocco’s sovereignty.”

“Our two countries will work together to reach a solution that, within the framework of the United Nations, fully respects Morocco’s sovereignty over its Sahara,” the king said, adding that the two countries are poised to foster their partnership in “strategic sectors.”

Both the Polisario and Algeria condemned the French position. Algeria withdrew its ambassador to Paris in reaction. 

(Reuters/NAN) 

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