Autonomy only solution for West Sahara, says France

RABAT, July 30 (AFP): France said Tuesday that autonomy within Morocco was the "only" basis for a solution to the decades-old Western Sahara dispute, drawing an angry reaction from the pro-independence Polisario Front.

In a letter to King Mohammed VI congratulating him on the 25th anniversary of his coronation, French President Emmanuel Macron said the Moroccan offer was "now the only basis that will lead to a just, lasting and negotiated political solution in line with UN Security Council resolutions".

The former Spanish colony is largely controlled by Morocco but claimed by the Algeria-backed Polisario Front.