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Rabat – The British government has again publicly backed Morocco’s autonomy plan as the most credible, viable, and pragmatic way to achieve a lasting solution to the long‑running dispute over the Western Sahara region.
Hamish Falconer, UK Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, made the statement on Thursday during a session in the House of Commons, the lower house of the UK Parliament.
Falconer said the UK wants a durable solution to the Sahara conflict and views Morocco’s autonomy proposal as the best basis for such a settlement. “We believe that our support for Morocco’s autonomy plan as the most credible, viable, and pragmatic basis for a lasting solution goes in this direction.”
He also commended United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2797, saying London welcomed the measure as part of international efforts to resolve the dispute.
Morocco first presented its autonomy proposal in 2007. It suggests granting the Western Sahara region in southern Morocco significant self‑government while remaining under Moroccan sovereignty.
A growing number of countries see the Moroccan initiative as a realistic and peaceful path to end a conflict that has lasted more than 50 years.
In October 2025, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2797, a landmark step in the Western Sahara dispute. The resolution renewed the mandate of MINURSO, the UN peacekeeping mission in the region, through October 2026, but importantly, it also put Morocco’s autonomy plan as the basis for negotiations toward a final settlement.
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The resolution received 11 votes in favor, including from the UK, zero against, and three abstentions, including China, Russia, and Pakistan. Algeria did not participate in the vote.
The United States was the main sponsor of the resolution, and many Western and African countries supported it as reflecting a pragmatic way forward.
Since the adoption of Resolution 2797, several countries and international bodies have reaffirmed their backing for Morocco’s autonomy initiative.
United States officials have repeatedly emphasized that negotiations should be based on Morocco’s autonomy plan as the only feasible way to achieve peace in the region.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has also repeatedly reiterated support for Morocco’s territorial integrity and its autonomy proposal, welcoming UNSC 2797’s framework.
Some European Union members have notably updated their positions to align with the UNSC resolution’s framing.
On the other hand, the momentum Morocco’s Autonomy Plan has gained in recent years has weakened the strategy of the Polisario Front and Algeria.
