UK backs Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara, Lammy says

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By Ahmed Eljechtimi

RABAT (Reuters) -Britain’s foreign minister, David Lammy, said on Sunday that the UK considers Morocco’s autonomy proposal as the most feasible basis to resolve the conflict over Western Sahara.

The long-frozen conflict pits Morocco, which considers the territory as its own, against the Algeria-backed Polisario front, which seeks an independent state in the desert territory.The autonomy plan submitted by Morocco in 2007 stands “as the most credible, viable and pragmatic basis for a lasting resolution of the dispute,” Lammy told reporters after talks with Morocco’s foreign minister.

“The UK will continue to act bilaterally, including economically, regionally and internationally in line with this position to support the resolution of the conflict,” Lammy said on a visit to Rabat.

The position places Britain as the third permanent U.N. Security Council member to endorse Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara, following the United States and France.

Morocco’s foreign minister, Nasser Bourita, hailed the UK’s position as historic, saying it was part of “a momentum to speed up the solution of the conflict.”UK investments in the territory were under examination, Bourita said.

The two countries signed deals to cooperate in healthcare, innovation, port and water infrastructure and procurement.

Lammy said the deals would “ensure British businesses score big on football’s biggest stage,” as Morocco pushes for infrastructure investment in preparation for the 2030 World Cup, which it will co-host with Spain and Portugal.

(Reporting by Ahmed Eljechtimi, Editing by William Maclean)