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.