Will the UK follow Paris,Washington in supporting Morocco on Sahara conflict?

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the UK government was reviewing its position on the Sahara conflict in an answer to a question by an MP on whether the UK plans to support Morocco’s autonomy plan following the example of the US and France.

The statement signals an upcoming change in the UK government towards an outspoken support for the autonomy plan,which was described by the UN as serious and credible basis for a win-win solution to a conflict that has long lasted.

It also comes as Morocco and the UK strengthen economic ties with preparations to launch an electricity interconnexion project,Xlinks,that would power up to 7 million British households with clean energy.

In recent years,the autonomy plan has gained traction among UK pundits and the political class. One of these voices was Liam Fox,conservative MP and former trade minister.

“Not pushing forward with Morocco’s initiative does not make sense,” Fox had said.

The UK “should support reliable partners like Morocco,” Sir Simon Mayall,a retired British Army officer and a Middle East Adviser at the Ministry of Defense said last year as well.

Conservative MP Daniel Kawczynski has also urged his country to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara and its autonomy plan.

Supporting the autonomy plan would end the ordeal of the population held against their will in the Polisario-run Tindouf camps in Algeria,he said in an op-ed in the prestigious defense Think Tank RUSI.

The autonomy initiative is “anchored in a commitment to a promising political and economic future for the population,with respect for the rule of law,democratic procedures and sustained development,and will be implemented on the basis of an open consultation in accordance with the UN Charter and the principle of self-determination,” he said.