Trump confirms support for Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara

(Patria) - US President Donald Trump has confirmed support for Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara, saying that Morocco's autonomy plan for the territory is the only solution for the disputed region, the state news agency MAP reported on Saturday, as carried by Reuters.

The long-frozen conflict pits Morocco, which considers the territory its own, against the Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, which seeks an independent state there.
At the end of his first term, Trump recognised Morocco's claims to Western Sahara, which has phosphate reserves and rich fishing grounds, as part of an agreement under which Morocco agreed to normalise its relations with Israel.

His Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, made it clear in April that support for Morocco on the issue remains US policy, but these were Trump's first quoted statements on the dispute during his second term.

"I also reiterate that the United States recognises Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara and supports Morocco's serious, credible, and realistic autonomy proposal as the only basis for a just and lasting solution to the dispute," MAP quoted Trump as saying in a message to Moroccan King Mohammed VI.
"Together we advance shared priorities for peace and security in the region, including building on the Abraham Accords, combating terrorism, and expanding trade cooperation," Trump said.

As part of the Abraham Accords signed during Trump's first term, four Muslim-majority countries agreed to normalise diplomatic relations with Israel following US mediation.

In June this year, the United Kingdom became the third permanent member of the United Nations Security Council to support the autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty for the territory, after the United States and France.

Algeria, which has recognised the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Republic, has refused to participate in roundtables convened by the UN envoy for Western Sahara and insists on holding a referendum with independence as an option.