Sahara: London says it has not received Morocco’s detailed autonomy plan

Morocco has yet to share the details of its autonomy plan for Western Sahara with the United Kingdom. The information emerged on Wednesday, March 4, in a response from the British government to a written question submitted by Labour MP Andy Slaughter.

Despite this, the government led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer reaffirmed its commitment to «engage with all relevant parties in support of the UN-led process to achieve a just, lasting and mutually acceptable solution, based on compromise, which conforms with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, including the principle of respect for self-determination».

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) also stated thatt it continues «to engage extensively with the Moroccan government to request expanded details on its 2007 autonomy proposal».

It is worth recalling that ahead of discussions held on February 8 and 9 at the U.S. Embassy in Madrid, Morocco presented a detailed version of its autonomy plan for the Sahara, spanning around forty pages. The document also played a key role in talks held on February 23 and 24 in Washington, D.C., which brought together representatives from Morocco, Algeria, the Polisario Front, and Mauritania under the auspices of the Trump administration.