Macron’s invitation to Morocco came from King Mohammed VI, two months after his royal court hailed France’s change of heart on Western Sahara as a “significant” development.
But Algeria has expressed its deep disapproval, saying France is denying Sahrawi people their right to self-determination.
The Polisario Front, meanwhile, has hit out at France for supporting what it says is a “violent and illegal occupation” by Morocco.
Western Sahara was annexed by Morocco in 1975.
A 16-year-long insurgency ended with a UN-brokered truce in 1991 and the promise of a referendum on independence, which has yet to take place because of disagreements over how it should be conducted and who should be eligible to take part.
Today, the African Union is the only international organisation to recognise Western Sahara as a state in its own right.
Additional reporting by Danny Aeberhard
