European parliament doubts possibility to hold referendum in Sahara
Morocco-European Union, Politics, 7/11/2002

The European parliament Sahara ad-hoc delegation expressed doubts that "a referendum might be organized in the Sahara ab initio."

In a report it submitted on July 4 to the European Parliament's foreign committee, the delegation says that the framework agreement -- which grants the territory a large autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty-- "should naturally be taken into consideration" and that this framework agreement can be considered "as one of the bases of genuine negotiations between the parties."

The delegation, chaired by Ms. Catherine Lalumiere (France), said a prior negotiated and agreed-upon political accord between all parties to the Sahara issue is necessary.

The report also describes the hard living conditions in the Tindouf camps (western Algeria) and the tragedy of separated families and recalls that Moroccans are still held captive in the Tindouf camps without explanation.

Of the idea to partition the territory, the report notes that this option will entail significant difficulties. "Dividing the territory in two would create considerable difficulties," the report says.

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