Morocco responded positively to UN call for a new political solution to Sahara issue, prime minister
Morocco, Politics, 5/4/2001

Morocco has positively responded to the call by the UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, and the Security Council to try to seek a new political solution to the issue of the kingdom's southern provinces, said Moroccan Premier, Abderrahmane Youssoufi.

Youssoufi made the statement at a joint news conference in Paris Thursday with French peer, Lionel Jospin, at the end of the 4th annual meeting of the French-Moroccan high joint commission, convening this Thursday in Paris, under the co-chairmanship of the two countries' Prime Ministers.

There is "progress" concerning the Moroccan southern provinces, Youssoufi said explaining that "in view of the difficulty to find solutions to the various problems hampering the holding of the referendum provided for in the UN settlement plan, Morocco has positively responded to the call by the UN secretary general and the Security Council to try to seek a new political solution" to this issue.

The Prime minister stated further that after the meeting held last September (in Berlin) under the chairmanship of James Baker --former US secretary of state and UN secretary general's personal envoy for the Sahara- "Morocco solemnly announced its readiness to open direct dialogue with the other party to reach a political solution in the frame of Morocco's territorial integrity and its sovereignty over the whole Moroccan territory."

This solution should "enable the populations of the southern provinces to manage their own affairs in the frame of decentralization that implies devolution of a number of prerogatives to local authorities," Youssoufi explained.

"Morocco has expressed resolve to implement this solution and we are awaiting a response to our proposals," he said.

Lionel Jospin on his part expressed satisfaction that "the parties concerned cooperate with the UN, the UN secretary general and his personal envoy.

"In view of the deadlock in implementing the UN settlement plan. we can only back the efforts currently exerted by Kofi Annan and James baker to get out of the impasse," Jospin said.

On Wednesday, President Jacques Chirac of France had said during a meeting with Youssoufi he deems that the Sahara dossier evolution was going in the right direction.

Previous Stories:
  Sahara dossier evolution seems going in right direction, French president   (5/3/2001)
  Extension of MINURSO mandate will help Baker continue contacts, France says   (5/1/2001)
  UN Security Council extends MINURSO mandate   (4/28/2001)

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