Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of Morocco’s position on finding a lasting political solution to the conflict over Western Sahara.

The UK continues to support UN-led efforts to reach a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution, based on compromise, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, and supports the work of Staffan de Mistura, Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General. Officials regularly discuss and consult on Western Sahara with international partners, MINURSO (United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara), the UN, NGOs, and CSOs, up to and including at Ambassadorial level by His Majesty's Ambassadors to Rabat and Algiers, and at Permanent and Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN-level. We will continue to encourage constructive engagement with the political process, and monitor progress.