The French Ambassador to Namibia says the decision by his country to support Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara is not a surprise.

Sĕbastien Minot says the international community has been seized with the matter, but the position of France has remained the same.

Two weeks ago, in a correspondence with the Moroccan King, the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, stated his country's support for Morocco's continued occupation of Western Sahara.

President Macron was quoted as saying that the present and future of Western Sahara fall within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty, reversing the neutral stance.

France's decision, however, drew condemnation from some countries, including Namibia, that have been calling for UN-backed self-determination for Western Sahara.

We asked French diplomat Sĕbastien Minot whether France, as a member of the UN Security Council, would reconsider its position.

"That stance by France was not a big surprise. It's legitimate that countries have different positions when it comes to international relations, as I just discussed with the President. It's a long debate in the international community, and hopefully, it will find solutions in the coming times, but it wasn't a big change in France's position. Just expressed in a different way, not groundbreaking," he said.

The Namibian government has been vocal in its support for the independence of Western Sahara.

The condemnation statement from the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation labelled the decision by France as deplorable and goes against the principles enshrined in the UN charter.

It said the question of Western Sahara remains a decolonisation issue and cannot be subjected to a bilateral deal sidestepping the United Nations processes.