RABAT —
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has
called on his country’s partners to “clarify” their position over the disputed
Western Sahara territory and offer “unequivocal” support.
اضافة اعلان
“I would like to send a clear message to the world:
the Sahara issue is the prism through which Morocco views its international
environment,” he said in a televised speech Saturday evening.
He also described the issue as the “clear and simple
measure for the sincerity of friendships” between Morocco and its partners, in
remarks marking the Revolution of the King and the People, a national holiday
that celebrates the kingdom’s anti-colonial struggle.
Rabat controls most of Western Sahara, which it
views as its own territory.
Morocco fought a 15-year war with the Polisario
Front independence movement after Spain withdrew from its former colony in
1975.
A UN-monitored ceasefire deal provided for a referendum,
but Morocco has since rejected any vote that includes independence as an
option, offering only limited autonomy.
King Mohammed VI called on allies to “clarify their
stance ... in an unequivocal manner” on the matter. He did not specify which
countries he was addressing, but saluted the US’ “incontrovertible” position.
The US under former president
Donald Trump
recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed former Spanish colony, a
policy that has continued under his successor Joe Biden.
The king also lauded recent moves by Spain and
Germany to reverse previous policies and recognize Rabat’s autonomy initiative
for the territory.
In a U-turn, Spain in March publicly backed
Morocco’s autonomy plan for the disputed region after a months-long diplomatic
spat.
Rabat and Berlin had in February agreed to renew
ties after a year-long diplomatic freeze over disagreements including on
Trump’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara.
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