Trump reaffirms support for Morocco's sovereignty

3/8/2025 5:58

U.S. President Donald Trump has

reaffirmed support for Morocco's sovereignty over Western

Sahara, saying a Moroccan autonomy plan for the territory was

the sole solution to the disputed region, state news agency MAP

said on Saturday.



The long-frozen conflict pits Morocco, which considers the

territory as its own, against the Algeria-backed Polisario

Front, which seeks an independent state there.



Trump at the end of his first term in office recognised the

Moroccan claims to Western Sahara, which has phosphate reserves

and rich fishing grounds, as part of a deal under which Morocco

agreed to normalise its relations with Israel.



His secretary of state, Marco Rubio, made clear in April

that support for Morocco on the issue remained U.S. policy, but

these were Trump's first quoted remarks on the dispute during

his second term.



"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 Trump as

saying in a message to Morocco's King Mohammed VI.



"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 said.



As part of the Abraham Accords signed during Trump's first

term, four Muslim-majority countries agreed to normalise

diplomatic relations with Israel after U.S. mediation.



In June this year, Britain became the third permanent member

of the U.N. Security Council to back an autonomy plan under

Moroccan sovereignty for the territory after the U.S. and

France.



Algeria, which has recognised the self-declared Sahrawi

Republic, has refused to take part in roundtables convened by

the U.N. envoy to Western Sahara and insists on holding a

referendum with independence as an option.