Morocco pleads for negotiated political solution to Sahara issue, King
Morocco-Algeria, Politics, 4/6/2005

King Mohammed VI of Morocco on Tuesday reiterated his country's resolve to reach a political solution to the Sahara dispute opposing the North African country to the Algeria-backed separatist movement "Polisario."

"Having made the construction of the Arab Maghreb Union a strategic objective in order to achieve regional integration, Morocco is determined to contribute effectively to lifting all obstacles to the construction of the Maghreb," he said. "To this end, it has been cooperating in good faith with the United Nations and all the parties concerned in order to reach a final, consensual and negotiated political solution to the Sahara question, within the framework of Morocco's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

The monarch who was speaking at an Exchange of Toasts during a dinner hosted in honor of visiting President of Madagascar, Marc Ravalomanana, said that "such a solution should put an end to the artificial dispute over Morocco's southern provinces" known as the Sahara. The former Spanish colony was retrieved by Morocco in 1975 under the Madrid Accords. However, the Polisario, backed by Algeria has been, since 1976, seeking to separate this territory from the rest of the Kingdom.

In his remarks, King Mohammed VI insisted that Morocco's policy which "is consistent with international legality, favors dialogue and negotiation as a means for solving the conflicts which threaten world peace and security, especially in the African continent, where our two countries can work together to serve the above objectives."

Previous Stories:
  Media welcomes Algeria's decision to lift visa requirements for Moroccans   (4/5/2005)
  Solving Sahara issue is in Algeria's interest, former UN representative   (4/1/2005)
  International community convinced of need to reach negotiated political solution for Sahara, USFP party   (4/1/2005)

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