U.S. President Donald Trump has reaffirmed his support for Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara, stating that Morocco’s autonomy plan is the only viable solution to the long-running territorial dispute, according to Morocco’s state news agency MAP on Saturday.
The conflict over Western Sahara, a region known for its phosphate reserves and rich fishing waters, has long pitted Morocco, which claims the territory as part of its own, against the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, which seeks an independent state.
Trump initially recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the region at the end of his first term in office.
That recognition came as part of a broader agreement in which Morocco normalized diplomatic relations with Israel under the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords, Reuters reported.
In his first public remarks on the matter since returning to office, Trump reaffirmed that the U.S. position remains unchanged.
“I also reiterate that the United States recognises Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara and supports Morocco’s serious, credible and realistic autonomy proposal as the only basis for a just and lasting solution to the dispute,” MAP quoted him as saying in a message to Morocco’s King Mohammed VI.
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“Together we are advancing shared priorities for peace and security in the region, including by building on the Abraham Accords, combating terrorism and expanding commercial cooperation,” Trump added.
While Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio had already confirmed in April that U.S. support for Morocco’s position remained intact, this statement marks Trump’s first direct comment on the issue during his second term.
As part of the Abraham Accords signed during Trump’s first term, four Muslim-majority nations agreed to establish diplomatic relations with Israel, with U.S. mediation playing a central role.
In June, the United Kingdom became the third permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, after the U.S. and France, to support Morocco’s autonomy proposal under its sovereignty.
Algeria, which supports the self-declared Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, has rejected participation in U.N.-led roundtable talks and continues to insist that a referendum including the option of independence be held.
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Image Credit: Barlaman Today
