US welcomes Polisario's release of sequestered Moroccans

The US Preside W George Bush welcomed the step taken by Polisario in releasing the Moroccan prisoners who were held on Algerian territories. He stressed his support for diplomatic initiatives, held by his envoy, US Senator Richard Lugard who supervised the release operation.

The spokeswoman for the White House, Dana Beirino, described the release operation as a humanitarian victory that came as a result of intensive diplomatic efforts by the USA, Morocco and Algeria.

Senator Lugard said that the release of the prisoners was an important humanitarian objective and a constructive step for peace and stability in north Africa. He added that Washington strongly supports a rapprochement between Morocco and Algeria and a peaceful political solution for the Western Sahara issue that honors the right to self determination.

The American ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, stressed that the sequestration of those prisoners was an obstacle to the process of improving relations between Morocco and Algeria. He extended thanks to Algeria and Morocco for their role in the release process.

For its part, the Spanish government welcomed the release of the prisoners and expressed hope that this will contribute to creating a new mechanism for settlement of outstanding problems.

Since 1975, the Polisario front demands the independence of the Western Sahara while Morocco proposes an expanded self rule under the Moroccan sovereignty considering that organizing a referendum on the right for self determination "is part of the past," meaning, unacceptable.