British FM says Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara 'most credible' solution

RABAT: British foreign minister David Lammy said on Sunday that Morocco's autonomy plan for the territory of Western Sahara was the "most credible" solution to the decades-long dispute, reversing London's long-standing position.

Western Sahara, a mineral-rich former Spanish colony, is largely controlled by Morocco but has been claimed in its entirety for decades by the pro-independence Polisario Front, which is backed by Algeria.

"The United Kingdom considers Morocco's autonomy proposal submitted in 2007 as the most credible, viable and pragmatic basis for a lasting resolution of the dispute," Lammy told reporters in Rabat, speaking alongside his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita.

Britain previously backed self-determination for the disputed territory, which Morocco claims as an integral part of its kingdom.

"This year is a vital window of opportunity to secure a resolution before we reach 50 years of the dispute in November," said Lammy.

The foreign minister also said it encouraged "relevant parties to engage urgently and positively with the United Nations-led political process".

The United Nations considers Western Sahara a "non-self-governing territory" and has had a peacekeeping mission there since 1991, whose stated aim is to organise a referendum on the territory's future.

But Rabat has repeatedly ruled out any vote where independence is an option, instead proposing an autonomy plan.