France Reaffirms Support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan in Western Sahara Dispute

"I reiterate France’s historic, clear and constant support for the Moroccan autonomy plan. This plan has been on the table since 2007. It is now time to move forward," said Nicolas de Rivière, France’s permanent representative to the United Nations. Since 2021, relations between Paris and Rabat have been tense, notably due to France’s reluctance to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara, as Germany, Israel, the United States and Spain have already done. Despite the many calls from French politicians like former President Nicolas Sarkozy and Eric Ciotti, the leader of the LR party, French President Emmanuel Macron has remained undecided.

In his statement, the French diplomat also pleaded for the resumption of negotiations between the different parties. He called in this sense for the resumption of round tables. Speaking about the ceasefire violations committed by the Polisario, protected by Algeria, Nicolas de Rivière recalled France’s concerns. He also urged those responsible for these violations to "fully and fully implement the ceasefire agreement to facilitate the continuation of the political process".

These statements reflect Paris’ willingness to warm up its relations with Rabat. In September, the French president had, during the Conference of Ambassadors and Ambassadors, estimated that it was time to "rethink in depth" France’s partnership with Morocco and the rest of the Maghreb. "Let’s be lucid, bilateral relations are not at the level they should be, I’m not going to (re)summon each one here, but with Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, but also the countries of the Middle East," Emmanuel Macron had declared, stressing that it was not however a "lack of commitment with many of them".