Morocco seconds UN efforts to politically settle sahara issue, official says
Morocco-Spain, Politics, 5/13/2003

Morocco seconds efforts of the United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, and his Personal Envoy for the Sahara, James Baker, to reach a political settlement of the Sahara issue, after unsuccessful attempts to implement the 1991 initial plan that provided for the holding of a referendum, said in Madrid on Sunday, Morocco's Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Delegated minister, Taieb Fassi Fihri.

Fassi-Fihri, who made the point during a press conference, held at the end of a working session convened by the Moroccan-Spanish political affairs' task group, stressed the need to find a settlement out of "a political compromise" as well as Morocco's will "to devise, along with all of the other parties to the conflict, a final settlement based on the Kingdom's sovereignty."

"We are asking no party to change position," said Fassi Fihri, noting that "each country is sovereign in formulating stances according to the principles to which it is committed," said Fassi-Fihri.

The Moroccan official invited the international community, particularly Spain, "to support the efforts geared to reach a final and realistic political settlement."

The most important thing, he went on, is to craft "without delay" a political settlement so that the Maghreb region can become an organized partner of the European Union and zeroes in on its integration process in order to meet the common challenges related to security and stability.

However, he went on, the international community, and Spain in particular, need to "support ongoing efforts to reach a final and realistic political solution," stressing Madrid's "fundamental" role in helping to promote a good "understanding of the reality on the ground and support the efforts deployed since two years by the international community in view of striking a political settlement to the Sahara issue."

He stressed, in this regard, that "the secessionist movement of Polisario does not represent the Saharawi populations and that tens of thousands of Sahrawis live in the Kingdom's southern provinces (..) where they take part to the democratic debate and elections just like any other Moroccan national."

"These are the fundamental realities that must be taken into account and which are in fact as fundamental as the need for Europe to have by its southern borders not only prosperity but also security and democracy," he went on to explain.

Security, he noted, can be attained only with "the Maghreban countries being aware of their fundamental interests not only via the settlement of the Sahara issue but also through an entente that will enable them to exploit economic integration and build on the shared cultural and religious platform that unite all of the Maghreban countries to meet development challenges."

Previous Stories:
  Passport for Freedom extended to longest-serving Moroccan POW in algeria   (5/6/2003)
  Morocco renews call for release of Moroccans detained in southern algeria   (4/23/2003)
  La Verite: Morocco, Spain must work for infallible ties, Spanish party   (4/14/2003)
  Spain welcomes Moroccan-French document to 55 meeting   (4/11/2003)
  Spain for realistic solution to Sahara issue   (4/11/2003)

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