Emmanuel Macron further complicated France‘s already strained relationship with Algeria by making official Paris’ position on a contended territory.
The French President sent a letter to King Mohammed VI of Morocco, in which he called the plan Morocco proposed in 2007 for the disputed Western Sahara territory the “only basis” to solve the conflict.
The letter made public on Tuesday and coinciding with Mohammed VI’s 25th anniversary on the throne, read: “The present and future of Western Sahara fall within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty.
“France intends to act consistently with this position at both national and international level.”
Mr Macron’s message added: “Our support for the autonomy plan proposed by Morocco in 2007 is clear and consistent.”
Western Sahara is a vast and contended territory in north-western Africa. Since an UN-sponsored ceasefire agreement in 1991 that halted a years-long conflict, some 70 percent of the area has been administered by Morocco, while the remainder has been handled by the self-declared Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) with the backing of Algeria.
For years, France has been among the countries tacitly supporting Morocco’s stance on the territory, but Mr Macron has now decided to make his country’s position public.
This dealt a hard blow to the pro-independence Polisario Front, which has been claiming for years to be the legitimate representative of the inhabitants of Western Sahara and has been asking for a self-determination referendum to be held in the territory.
The Moroccan plan supported by France would offer limited autonomy to Western Sahara under its sovereignty.
While Morocco’s delight at the letter was evident, with an official spokesperson of the government telling Efe news agency that France’s announcement marked “a turning point” from “a historical actor” in the region, Algeria has been swift in expressing its anger.
This week, the African country recalled its ambassador to Paris “with immediate effect”.
In the run-up to the publication of the letter, Algeria had already expressed deep disapproval at the expected declaration of support for Morocco by Mr Macron, calling it “untimely and counterproductive”.
The Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, accused France of supporting what it called “the violent and illegal occupation” of Western Sahara.
Algeria was a former French colony that gained independence in 1962 after an eight-year conflict.
In a sign the country still bears the trauma of that war and the French occupation, Algeria’s Olympic team threw flowers into the Seine on Friday, during the Paris Games’ Opening Ceremony, to pay tribute to fellow Algerians whose bodies were thrown into the river after being killed by police officers quashing a massive protest in October 1961.