France shifts Western Sahara stance, seeking closer ties with Morocco

RABAT, Morocco — France has thrown its support behind Morocco's autonomy plan for the disputed Western Sahara, shifting a decades-old position and adding itself to a growing list of countries to align with Morocco as a United Nations-mediated peace process remains stalled. In a letter to King Mohammed VI, France's President Emmanuel Macron called the plan that Morocco proposed in 2007 to offer the region limited autonomy under its sovereignty the "only basis" to solve the conflict. The shift deals...