Pressure mounts in the UK to support Morocco's proposal on Western Sahara
Pressure continues to spiral in the UK to support Morocco's proposal to resolve the Western Sahara conflict.
Positions of parliamentarians in favour
Several British MPs have raised their voices to urge the government to recognise Morocco's formula for Western Sahara as the most serious and credible way to resolve the Saharawi dispute.
According to the Express, senior British Conservative Party officials have urged the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to "change UK policy and recognise Morocco's sovereignty" in order to avoid a kind of "obstinacy" of the British executive in refusing to recognise the Moroccan proposal.
In addition, the official Moroccan news agency MAP also reported that the British Conservative MP Daniel Kawczynski urged the British government to recognise Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara.
"I have asked many questions within our own Parliament [...] about when we will finally recognise that the Moroccan Sahara is part of the Kingdom of Morocco", Kawczynski told the press after talks between his delegation of British MPs and the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita.
The British politician also highlighted Morocco's status as an "extremely important ally" of the UK. Following in the footsteps of other relevant nations, such as the United States, which considers the Moroccan kingdom to be a very important partner in economic matters, due to the North African country's great growth, and in security matters, taking into account Morocco's great role in the fight against terrorism and criminal gangs in North Africa and the Sahel.
Following this line, the British member of the House of Lords Daniel Hannan also called for the recognition of Morocco's "full sovereignty" over Western Sahara and the strengthening of trade relations between the two countries.
For his part, the British MP Liam Fox also asked London to offer its full support to Morocco and to recognise its sovereignty over Western Sahara.
"I have written a letter to the British Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, to draw his attention to the UK's delay vis-à-vis the US on this issue", Fox said in an interview with Medi1TV.
According to Fox, recognition of the Moroccan status of the Sahara goes beyond the economic opportunities it offers. "It is an important element for the stability and security of the region," he said.
Support for Morocco's formula for Western Sahara
Morocco proposes a broad autonomy for Western Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty, respecting UN resolutions, with the aim of developing the region in all areas. Since the United States recognised the Moroccan sovereignty of Western Sahara in December 2020, many important nations have supported the Moroccan initiative, considering it the most serious and credible way to solve the Saharawi problem, such as Spain, Germany, the United Arab Emirates and Israel.
On the opposite side is the Polisario Front, which is calling for a referendum on independence for the Sahrawi people, which has less international support, including that of Algeria, Morocco's great political rival in the Maghreb, and which is difficult to implement, as several experts have pointed out, especially in relation to the electoral roll.
