In Morocco, France's Macron dangles Western Sahara concessions to mend ties
After years of diplomatic disputes, French President Emmanuel Macron is adamant on repairing ties with Morocco.
PARIS — In a clear effort to overcome the diplomatic crisis plaguing bilateral ties between Paris and Rabat, French President Emmanuel Macron addressed on Tuesday the Moroccan parliament, saying that the present and the future of the disputed Western Sahara region "falls within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty."
A few hours after Macron's speech, the French Foreign Ministry updated the map of Morocco on its website to include Western Sahara. On Wednesday, the French presidency said that the two countries signed contracts and investment agreements worth “up to 10 billion euros," without offering details.
"The visit of Macron to Morocco became possible after a letter he sent last July to King Mohammed VI, using this exact sentence," research director at the French IRIS institute and associate researcher at the Rabat-based Policy Center for the New South Francis Perrin told Al-Monitor.
For more than 50 years, Rabat has been campaigning for international recognition of its sovereignty over Western Sahara, while the nationalist Sahara independence Polisario Front militants have been seeking independence and recognition of what they call the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.
