Moroccan, Algerian negotiations, sole means to settle sahara issue (moroccan official)
Morocco-Algeria, Politics, 8/11/2003

The Sahara issue can be settled if Algeria "makes the necessary effort," Moroccan delegate minister for foreign affairs and cooperation, Taieb Fassi Fihri, said on Friday.

The official, who was interviewed by French radio station RFI, stressed the need to place the Sahara in its genuine historical and geopolitical context. He stressed, in this regard, that the Polisario came to life only thanks to the financial, diplomatic, security and political backing of Algeria

The official recalled that Morocco was occupied by France (center), Spain (north and south) and an international status for the city of Tangiers. The official noted, in this connection, that Morocco liberated its territories gradually and through international accords of traditional retrocession and the 1975 accord with Spain and Mauritania for the recovery of the southern provinces.

Unfortunately, the delays registered in the completion of this process transformed the traditional decolonization into a regional competition fomented by a context of cold war, he said.

The Polisario never existed during the colonial era, said Fassi Fihri, underlining that Morocco was the only country claiming the return of its southern part of land. He noted that the Sahara issue is now reduced to the fate of 30,000 Moroccans forcibly detained on Algerian territory.

"We continue to believe that it will be enough that the international community and particularly neighboring Algeria make the necessary effort so that this problem be settled," he said, adding "I believe that Morocco and Algeria can and should take care of fundamental problems" commiting their development.

Touching on Bakers' latest proposal, Fassi Fihri stressed that Morocco's objections are clear-cut, as long as this plan is backward step, proposing a self-determination plan at the end of five years of an extremely complicated transition period.

For us, this perspective is difficult to implement, he said, adding Baker's plan includes perilous transitory modalities for security and stability in the region.

"We would not like this transition period to be an electoral campaign of 4 or 5 years at the end of which we have to answer the question: independence or integration?"

The official stressed that Morocco backs a political solution, called for by the United Nations, by its Secretary General Kofi Annan and by Baker, that is to say the third option that should lead to a solution accepted by all. "Morocco sees in this option a real, sincere possibility for the delegation of competencies to all the inhabitants of the region within the necessary frame of Morocco kingty and territorial integrity.

Previous Stories:
  Baker Sahara plan holds great dangers for Maghreb, Algerian labor party warns   (8/8/2003)
  Morocco's Islamist party points accusing finger to Algeria over Sahara   (8/7/2003)
  Human rights situation in Algerian rear base under fire   (8/7/2003)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search