ALGIERS, Algeria
Algeria regretted US support on Wednesday for Morocco’s proposal for "autonomy" for the disputed Western Sahara region.
On Tuesday, US Secretary of
State Marco Rubio reaffirmed Washington’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty
over Western Sahara during a meeting with his Moroccan counterpart Nasser
Bourita.
"Algeria regrets this
position by a permanent member of the UN Security Council, who is expected to
uphold respect for international law in general and Security Council
resolutions in particular," the Algerian Foreign Ministry said in a
statement.
“The Western Sahara issue is
fundamentally related to an incomplete decolonization process and an
unfulfilled right to self-determination,” it stressed.
According to a State
Department readout, Rubio said that Morocco's autonomy proposal rests as the
only basis for a “just and lasting solution” to the long-running dispute over
the territory.
“The US continues to believe
that genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the only feasible
solution,” he said.
The Western Sahara issue has
been a source of tensions between Algeria and Morocco for some five decades.
The issue began in 1975 after the Spanish colonial withdrawal from the region,
and the conflict between Morocco and the pro-independence Polisario Front
turned into an armed struggle that lasted until 1991 when a ceasefire agreement
was signed.
The UN does not recognize the
sovereignty claims of either the Polisario Front or Morocco, which took control
of most of Western Sahara in a 1975 agreement with Spain and Mauritania.
Morocco proposes extensive
autonomy for the Western Sahara region under its sovereignty, while the
Polisario Front calls for a referendum on self-determination, a stance
supported by Algeria, which hosts refugees from the region.
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