Overview

• French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has reaffirmed France's 'intangible' stance that Western Sahara's present and future are under Moroccan sovereignty.
• France continues to back Morocco's 2007 autonomy plan for Western Sahara, which it describes as the only viable basis for a just and lasting political solution.
• The decades-long territorial dispute over Western Sahara involves Morocco, which controls most of the territory, and the Polisario Front, supported by Algeria, advocating for Sahrawi independence.
• Diplomatic tensions between France and Algeria have intensified, with Algeria expelling 12 French officials in response to the detention of an Algerian consular agent in France.
• Despite the crisis with Algeria, France and Morocco emphasize their strong bilateral relations, pledging to further strengthen their 'exceptional partnership.'