France urges all parties to Sahara conflict to return to round table process, reiterates support for autonomy plan

Despite the frost in Rabat-Paris relations, France has leant towards Morocco’s stance at the UN urging all parties, including Algeria, to resume the round tables process with a view to finding a political solution to the Sahara conflict, while stressing the pre-eminence of the autonomy plan.

“I reaffirm the historic and straightforward and steady support of France to Morocco’s autonomy plan,” said France’s permanent representative to the UN Nicolas de Rivière following the adoption of the Security Council of a resolution renewing the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission for another year.

The autonomy plan “has been on the table since 2007. It is now time to make progress,” he said.

The call for the resumption of round tables between all parties would unsettle Algeria which has backtracked from the political process and vowed not to take part again.

Morocco insists on the participation of Algiers in the UN political process in view of its key role in perpetuating the conflict through its Polisario proxies.

Morocco welcomed the UN Security Council resolution which reiterated the serious and credible character of the autonomy plan.

The resolution urged all parties to work together based on a spirit of compromise towards the achievement of “a realistic, practicable, enduring and mutually acceptable political solution.”

It also urged the MINURSO peacekeeping mission to align its strategic goal towards the political solution, burying the obsolete referendum option defended by Algeria and its Polisario proxies.

The resolution also echoes the concerns of the UN Secretary General who complained to the security council of Polisario’s obstacles to MINURSIO resupply missions.

It lambasted Algeria and the Polisario for the dim rights record in the Tindouf camps and urged them to carry out a census of the Population held there.