French Finance minister reaffirms Paris’ readiness to finance Dakhla-Casablanca power cable

French finance minister Bruno Le Maire said his country is ready to finance the 3MW power cable linking Dakhla in Morocco’s Sahara to Casablanca.

The project was conducive to reducing the cost of energy, said Le Maire in his opening remarks at the Moroccan-French business forum.

The statement confirms Paris recognizes fully Morocco’s economic sovereignty over the Sahara territory, a move observers see as a prelude to a full recognition of Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over the territory.

Le Maire said his country was also ready to cooperate with Morocco on nuclear energy, green hydrogen, and renewable energies, adding that the two countries share a commitment to decarbonize their economies.

The position to back Morocco’s economic projects in the Sahara was first expressed by French foreign minister Stephane Séjourné in February and reiterated this month by French minister in charge of external trade Franck Reister.

Proparco, an offshoot of a French development agency backing the private sector, “would contribute to finance a high voltage link between Dakhla and Casablanca, a strategic project for the Kingdom,” he said last week during a visit to Casablanca.

Reister’s visit to Rabat and Casablanca was followed by a meeting in Paris between Moroccan foreign minister Nasser Bourita and his French counterpart Séjourné.

When asked by a French TV when Paris will take a bolder stance in support of Morocco on the Sahara issue, Séjourné said that such a stance is for heads of state to discuss, hinting that Moroccan-French ties are headed towards that direction.

Morocco’s king had made it clear that the Sahara issue is the lens through which the Kingdom measures the sincerity of its foreign relations.

Spain, the US, most of Africa and the Arab World as well as Israel understood this and ended ambiguities by recognizing Morocco’s rights to its southern provinces and backing the autonomy option.

France, the former colonial power, is well-aware of the extent of the imperial Morocco whose borders were amputated during the colonial rule. Its recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara would put the final nail in the Polisario’s coffin and deal the most severe blow to Algeria.

After a failed bet on Tebboune’s Algeria, France is losing ground in the Sahel and looks at Morocco as a credible partner who has a say in the region.

Morocco is recognized by France as a “regional power”, as Séjourné said and France has much to gain by mending ties with Morocco instead of betting on a military-run Algeria that is deepening its isolation in the region.