Moroccan Sahara: Autonomy Plan Is ‘Most Credible and Widely-Endorsed’ Proposal – British Think Tank –

The autonomy plan submitted by Morocco to settle the artificial conflict over its territorial integrity is the “most credible and widely endorsed” proposal for resolving this regional dispute, stated on Wednesday the Cambridge Middle East and North Africa Forum (MENAF), a think-tank reporting to the prestigious University of Cambridge. In a report, the think tank recalls the broad support enjoyed by the Moroccan autonomy plan within the international community, particularly among the USA, Spain, France, Germany, and the Netherlands, urging the UK to align itself with the position of these world powers. British support for the autonomy plan and Moroccan sovereignty over the territory would have a positive impact in political, security, trade, and human rights terms, MENAF points out. The United Kingdom can play an influential role in the international community and as a trusted partner of Morocco in promoting concrete steps that would support Morocco’s establishment of sovereignty over the Sahara, according to the same source. British support for the autonomy plan should facilitate new policy mechanisms and bolster existing ones in order to continue to adequately address vital issues related to immigration and security in the whole region, explains the think tank.  The report places particular emphasis on Morocco’s crucial role in the region, stressing that with its “prominent” military force combined with the diplomatic strides, Morocco is establishing itself as an “essential” partner to the UK in the security realm. Morocco has demonstrated its commitment to maintaining order in the region as well as beyond the region’s boundaries by participating in international peacekeeping missions, the report says. Besides, British recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over its Sahara should encourage investment by the UK and its partners in the southern provinces, thus fostering the emergence of a regional economic and trade hub, supporting economic progress, and the establishment of a more integrated West African region, notes the think tank. The development of infrastructure in the Sahara, particularly of seaports, for which Morocco already presented concrete plans, would establish a new trade hub along a key international maritime trade route, positioning the region as an important gateway between Europe, the Atlantic, and the African continent. Ultimately, Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara offers the potential to stabilize a zone that has “long been unstable,” notes the think tank, stressing that the autonomy plan and its provisions “provide a fast track to securing human and political rights.” The implementation of the autonomy plan would provide opportunities for reaping significant additional security, economic, and development-related benefits in line with the UK’s foreign policy goals for the long term, the report concludes.