Biden Transition team spokesman Ned Price declined to comment on the issue.
The announcement comes after President Donald Trump announced earlier this month that the euro would recognize Morocco’s long-running claims over the former Spanish territory, as part of normalizing relations between Morocco and Israel. In the final months of the Trump administration, Israel has forged ties with several Arab states – agreements that the president’s allies have made as the cornerstone of their foreign policy legacy.
Prior to the Israel-Morocco deal, the U.S. The policy was consistent with the European Union, the United Nations and the African Union, which adopted a path of self-determination for the region. The Western Sahara was a Spanish colony until the mid-1970s, when Morocco invaded and established de facto control over much of the territory to this day. Morocco has been in diplomatic activity with the self-proclaimed Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic, whose polisario front maintains control over the sliver of land that embraces the Algerian border.
“The United States looks forward to this increased engagement and we will continue to support political negotiations to resolve issues between Morocco and Polisario within the framework of Morocco’s autonomy plan,” the State Department said in a statement on Thursday.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration’s recognition of Morocco’s claim would quickly provoke eyebrows, from the international community to within its own party. Sen. Jim Inhoffe (R-Okla.) Described the deal as “shocking and deeply disappointing.”
Former Secretary of State James Baker condemned the move last week because of the status quo and the need for an immediate end to hostilities in the Mediterranean, especially Algeria’s strategic U.S. Potential sources of conflict with allies are both.
