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Andrew Murrison, a member of the House of Commons at the British Parliament, has once again called on the UK to adopt a similar position as countries that have explicitly expressed support for Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over its southern provinces in Western Sahara.
The Autonomy Plan, which Morocco presented to the UN Security Council in 2007, represents the “only credible option” to end the dispute over Western Sahara, Andrew said during a parliamentary debate on Wednesday.
Referencing some of the countries that have embraced and recognized the Moroccan plan as the best route to a solution in the Sahara, he especially cited France, the US, Spain, the Netherlands, and Germany among the major countries he said are seeking a genuinely feasible and lasting resolution of the Sahara dispute.
As he addressed his fellow MPs, Murrison urged the UK to follow in the footsteps of other permanent members of the UN Security Council that have come to the correct realization that there is no sustainable future for the Western Sahara region outside of its effective integration within Morocco.
“The UK must align itself” with these countries by establishing a consular and cultural presence in Laayoune and Dakhla, he said, noting that British support for the Moroccan autonomy plan was necessary to further strengthen UK-Morocco relations.
Murrison’s appeal comes amid increasing calls from observers and analysts that have been urging the UK to follow the lead of countries that have recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces.
In recent months and weeks, several UK MPs have called on their government to join the US, France, and Spain in recognizing Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed region. France is the latest major European country to have recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces.
Read also: Western Sahara: UK Errs on Side of Caution Despite Signs of Support for Morocco
While visiting the Moroccan capital Rabat earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron recalled his country’s historic decision this past July to support Morocco’s territorial integrity.
During a speech to the Moroccan parliament on Tuesday, Macron said the present and future of the Sahara are inconceivable outside Moroccan sovereignty.
The US also recognized Morocco’s territorial integrity in December 2020, leading many experts and observers to suggest that it was only a matter of time before the recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara region became the default position of the international community.
To date, over 100 countries support Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as the only basis to end the territorial dispute.
More than 30 MPs and Peers penned a letter to the UK government this past May, urging for the timely recognition of Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as the most viable solution to the dispute.
But the UK is yet to make any announcement regarding a shift in its stance on the Sahara, with the latest official statements from London only “applauding” Morocco’s efforts while reiterating the UK’s support for the UN-led political process.
In Morocco, many analysts have called on the government to put more pressure on its British counterpart to “come out of its comfort zone”and put an end to its ambiguity on the Sahara question. “We should start placing more pressure on the British government to come clean and express a clear-cut, unambiguous position of support for Morocco’s autonomy proposal and the kingdom’s sovereignty over the territory,” Bennis stated on X.
