The Popular Front for the Liberation of Western Sahara (Polisario Front) says it is halting contacts with the Spanish government, the Sahara Press Service reported.

On Thursday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez met with Moroccan King Mohammed VI and signed a joint declaration on the normalization of relations.

The Polisario Front confirmed in a statement published by the Sahara Press Service that it was halting contacts with the Spanish government over Sanchez’s support for the idea of Western Sahara’s limited autonomy, which is viewed by the front as an attempt to "annex" Western Sahara.

"Grave error"

In March, Sanchez called Morocco’s 2007 proposal to offer Western Sahara autonomy under its sovereignty the "most serious, realistic and credible" way of ending the conflict.

The Polisario Front in Spain argued that the government is "making a grave error" for its shifted position and support for Morocco.

In a statement, the Front considered that "the position expressed by the Spanish government totally contradicts international legitimacy."

"The United Nations, the African Union, the European Union, the International Court of Justice, the European Court of Justice and all regional organisations do not recognise Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara," the statement read.

Washington supports Morocco's autonomy plan

In early March, Washington also expressed support for Morocco's autonomy plan in Western Sahara.

During a visit to Rabat, US Deputy Secretary of State, Wendy Sherman, said, "We continue to view Morocco's autonomy plan as serious, credible and realistic."

Recognition of "sovereignty" in exchange for normalization

It is noteworthy that in exchange for normalization with "Israel", former US President Donald Trump's administration recognized Morocco's "sovereignty" over Western Sahara.

The Front has fought with Morocco since the 1970s over the control of Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony that was later transferred to the control of Morocco and Mauritania.

A UN-brokered ceasefire deal was reached in 1991 and the UN Security Council voted in favor of holding a referendum to define the status of the territory, but Moroccan authorities have since opposed any vote that includes independence as an option, supporting the idea of limited autonomy only.