Paris [France], October 30: France's President Emmanuel Macron has told Morocco's parliament that he believes Western Sahara should be under Moroccan sovereignty, and has pledged to invest French money there.
Western Sahara is a territory on the north-western coast of Africa that has been the subject of a decades-long dispute.
It was once a Spanish colony and is now mostly controlled by Morocco and partly by the Algerian-backed Polisario Front - which says it represents the indigenous Sahrawi people and wants an independent state.
France was the former colonial power in both Morocco and Algeria. It joins other nations including Spain, the US and Israel in backing Morocco's plan.
Lawmakers rose to their feet and applauded Macron on Tuesday when he said, "For France, this territory's present and future fall under Morocco's sovereignty".
His comments on Tuesday in Rabat echo surprise remarks he first made in July.
Signalling a change in France's long-held stance on Morocco's plan to grant Western Sahara autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty, the French president said it was the "only basis" for a just and lasting political settlement.
France's backing of Morocco's territorial claim angered Algeria, which responded to the news by withdrawing its ambassador to Paris.
Algiers regards Morocco's presence there as an illegal occupation.
Analysts say France's decision to back Morocco's claim is an attempt to repair relations between the two nations, which had soured after Rabat was accused of attempting to spy on President Macron and France tightened visa restrictions for visiting Moroccan nationals.
Relations between Morocco and Algeria have become especially tense in recent years, with Algiers announcing in 2021 that it had severed diplomatic ties with its neighbour to the west.
On Tuesday, Macron also addressed colonialism but stopped short of an apology.
In a sign of closening ties, France and Morocco are reported to have struck deals on energy and infrastructure among other things.
The AFP news agency says they have a total value of "up to €10bn", equivalent to $10.8bn or £8.3bn.
On Tuesday, Macron also pledged an unspecified sum of "investments and sustainable support initiatives to benefit local populations" in Western Sahara.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Cooperation