Liam Fox: UK should recognise Morocco sovereignty over Western Sahara

Former UK Defence Minister Dr. Liam Fox has called on London to support Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara region.

The leading Conservative Party MP wants the UK to follow the US by formally recognising Morocco's sovereignty over the Western Sahara region and forging closer ties with Rabat.

The US in 2020 became the first country in the world to recognise Morocco's claims over the entire Western Sahara region, when Rabat joined the so-called Abraham Accords with Israel.

"Before my visit to Morocco, I sent a letter to the British Minister of Foreign Affairs, drawing his attention to the delay of the United Kingdom on this issue compared to the United States," Dr. Fox told Moroccan channel Medi 1 TV on Sunday. 

"We must offer our full support to Morocco and recognise its sovereignty over the Sahara." 

Rebels in Western Sahara, led by the Polisario Front, have engaged in a decades-long campaign, sometimes violent, against the Moroccan government demanding self-rule, while Morocco has offered only limited autonomy.

Rabat views Western Sahara as an integral part of its kingdom and the issue can play a decisive role in its relations with other states. 

In his interview, Dr. Fox said Rabat had achieved considerable economic progress in Western Sahara which was a "testament" to Morocco's intended aim to develop the region.

He also advocated the importance of supporting a "stable and constructive solution to the Sahara issue under the Moroccan autonomy initiative".

Morocco has offered limited autonomy for the region, while the Polisario Front demands a UN-supervised referendum of self-determination.

Dr. Fox said that by recognising Moroccan sovereignty over the resource-rich area it would strengthen the UK's position in Africa and the MENA region, which he claimed was often "marked by uncertainty".

Since 2020, Morocco has garnered increasing international backing for its autonomy plan ov the territory, including that of Germany and Spain.

In August 2022, Morocco's King Mohammed asserted that the stance taken by foreign countries on the Western Sahara issue serves as the sole gauge of friendship with Rabat. 

In the same year, 35 states reiterated support for Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara at the 51st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva - mostly Gulf and African states that had already opened consulates in Laayoune and Dakhla cities. 

The Trump administration has also promised Rabat a consulate in Western Sahara following the US recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over the territory in 2020. However, the project was put on hold during the Biden administration, with both states avoiding talk on the issue.

"Moroccan and US relations are strong — ongoing, and moving forward in the right direction," Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita of Morocco said in March 2022 when asked about the consulate delay.

Situated on the northwest coast of Africa, Western Sahara hosts rich phosphate reserves and fish stocks off its coast with possible untapped oil reserves.

Founded in 1973, The Algeria-backed Polisario Front, Saharawis' self-proclaimed representative, fought a 15-year-long guerrilla against Morocco.  

In 1991, the UN announced a ceasefire in the province and sent its peacekeeping forces to Laayoune, the biggest city in the disputed territory, to monitor a referendum on the territory’s status. 

The vote was set for 1992 but was aborted when Morocco refused to accept any vote that allowed for the independence of the territory, saying that only "autonomy" was on the table. 

Since then, numerous UN-sponsored talks have failed to make a breakthrough, each side further entrenched in their positions.