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In a plea for recognition of the Moroccan Sahara by the United Kingdom, British Conservative MP Daniel Kawczynski highlighted the shared economic, political and strategic interests between Rabat and London, as well as the values shared by both parties. During the parliamentary session held on May 8, he also referred to the unconvincing position of his country's ambassador to Morocco on this issue.
«During our visit to Morocco, we had a very unsatisfactory discussion with the British ambassador on the telephone», he said referring to ambassador Simon Martin. «As on many other occasions, the British ambassador tried to indicate that we cannot recognise Western Sahara because somehow it will impinge on or affect our relationship with our overseas territories, particularly the Falkland Islands. Yet, when I pressed the British ambassador to explain why and how that could be the case, no satisfactory response was forthcoming», said Daniel Kawczynski.
He recalled that the country was the UK's second oldest ally, «a reliable partner and one that seeks our support» in recognising Western Sahara, as previously obtained from the United States, another major ally of London.
According to Daniel Kawczynski, this ambiguous position jeopardizes the potential for advanced cooperation between London and Rabat, in the face of competing partners such as the USA, Germany and Spain. In this sense, he called on the British side to understand «the immense importance that Morocco attaches» to the Sahara question.
Last January, the head of British diplomacy was questioned on the issue by another Conservative MP. At the time, David Cameron praised the quality of diplomatic relations between the UK and Morocco, saying they were «very good».
Previously, Conservative MP Liam Fox had written to David Cameron on the same subject. In his letter, he called on the head of British diplomacy to follow in the footsteps of the USA, Germany and the Netherlands, and officially recognize Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara.
