Russian fm: Russia supports political settlement to Sahara issue
Morocco-Russia, Politics, 4/2/2002

Russia supports a political settlement to the Sahara issue on the basis of United Nations resolutions, Russian foreign minister, Igor Ivanov, told MAP on the eve of a visit to Morocco.

Ivanov who deplored the impact of the Sahara conflict on the situation in the (Maghreb) region and the integration process said the settlement of this issue will serve the interests of the Maghreban countries and all the international community. He further explained that in view of the protraction in the enforcement of the United Nations settlement plan, Russia does not rule out other political solutions on the basis of the U.N. plan. This is how Russia apprehends the draft-framework agreement proposed by the UN secretary general's personal envoy, James Baker, he went on referring to the proposal to give the Sahara large autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty.

Asked whether Russia can use its good relations with Morocco and Algeria to conduct a mediation between the two, Ivanov answered that all existing settlement mechanisms should be fully exploited.

Of political consultations between Morocco and Russia, the Russian foreign minister voiced satisfaction at the existence of dialogue between the two countries' heads of state, Russian president Vladimir Putin and King Mohammed VI of Morocco, as is evinced by the frequent exchange of messages. He went on that Russia appreciates the policy conducted by Morocco under the leadership of the sovereign, both at the regional and international levels, noting the convergence of the two countries' views on several international issues, including the fight against international terrorism, the middle east crisis and the situation in Iraq.

Touching on prospects of bilateral cooperation, Ivanov, praised the present level of cooperation and noted that Morocco is one of Russia's major trade partners in Africa, calling for exploring new forms of cooperation, mainly in the realm of new technologies. He said the two countries need to consolidate the legal basis of their cooperation and are poised to sign a new framework-agreement on fisheries.

In 2001, trade exchanges between the two countries were worth US$ 360 million, which made of Morocco Russia's second largest trade partner in Africa. Ivanov started this Tuesday a tour in Spain, Morocco and Tunisia.

Previous Stories:
  King Mohammed sends message to Russia's Vladimir Putin   (3/26/2002)
  Russian Foreign Minister in Morocco Next Month   (3/23/2002)
  Russia supports political solution to Sahara issue   (1/31/2002)

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