Settlement of Sahara dispute will favor Maghreban integration, Spanish official
Morocco-Spain, Politics, 7/6/2004

Spanish Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Bernardino Leon, on Monday deemed that a settlement of the Moroccan Sahara dispute, known as Western Sahara, will favor the integration of the North African region of the Maghreb.

The settlement of this dispute opposing Morocco to Algeria-backed separatist movement "Polisario" " would constitute a move that will favor the integration of the Maghreb," said Mr Leon who was presenting the outlines of the "Foreign Policy Pact" of the new Spanish Government.

Such a settlement, he noted, would also improve South-South political and economic relations especially if Morocco and Algeria decide to reopen their common borders, shut down in 1994 following the involvement of Algerian nationals in a terrorist attack on a hotel in Marrakech (South of Morocco).

The Spanish official pledged his country would "contribute positively" to the settlement of this almost three decade dispute over the sovereignty of the former Spanish colony retrieved by Morocco in 1975 under the Madrid Accords signed with Madrid and Mauritania. The Polisario movement, backed by Algeria has been seeking since 1976 to separate this territory from the rest of Morocco.

Bernardino Leon also stressed that "if the United Nations remain the framework of reference, the solution (to this dispute) will not happen without an agreement between the parties." He added that his Government will endeavor to "pave the way for dialogue between the parties" as was reaffirmed by the Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, and his Foreign Affairs Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos.

Morocco has been calling for direct negotiations with Algeria to settle this dispute, but the latter has so far rejected such an offer under the pretext of its non involvement despite its political, military, financial and logistic support to the separatist movement.

The Spanish Secretary of State affirmed on the other hand that his country is seeking "solid relations" with the countries of the Maghreb (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania), far from what he described as "conjunctural alliances" stressing that the fight against terrorism is also "a main point in the relationship with the Maghreb."

Previous Stories:
  Some 50,000 Moroccans granted legal stay in Spain, Minister   (7/2/2004)
  Fisheries: Spain seeks, beyond catches, sustainable cooperation with Morocco   (6/24/2004)
  Sahara issue: Spain seeks to improve conditions for solution accepted by all parties   (6/15/2004)

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