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3mo ago

UK Backs Morocco’s Autonomy Plan for Western Sahara

Britain described the 2007 autonomy proposal as the most pragmatic path to peace, with its export credit agency poised to support projects in the territory.

David Lammy announced the reversal of Britain's decades-long policy on the Western Sahara dispute
FILE - An archway in the entrance of Dakhla carries an image of Morocco's King Mohammed VI, in Western Sahara, Monday, Dec. 21, 2020. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy, File)
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy walks on the day of the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in London, Britain, March 10, 2025. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes/File Photo
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Overview

  • Foreign Minister David Lammy said the UK regards Morocco’s 2007 autonomy plan as the most credible and pragmatic solution to the decades-old Western Sahara dispute.
  • The UK becomes the third permanent U.N. Security Council member to endorse the autonomy proposal after the United States in 2020 and France in 2024.
  • Rabat and London signed cooperation deals spanning healthcare, innovation, port and water infrastructure, and procurement during Lammy’s visit.
  • UK Export Finance indicated it may back projects in Western Sahara under a broader commitment to mobilise £5 billion for economic initiatives in Morocco.
  • The endorsement aligns key Western powers behind Morocco’s plan even as the Algeria-backed Polisario Front maintains its push for independence and the U.N. seeks a negotiated settlement.