Morocco studies giving autonomy to western Sahara
Morocco-Algeria, Politics, 11/8/2005

The Moroccan king Muhammad VI on Sunday announced his decision to consult political parties in Morocco on the issue of the self-rule principle he had proposed to settle the old conflict in the western Sahara.

In a televised speech on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Green March, which was launched by his father al-Hassan II with the participation of 250,000 Moroccan who headed on November 6th, 1975 to the western Sahara to confirm its Moroccan identity, the Moroccan King said "we have decided to consult the political parties due to their basic role in national issues over its views on self rule under the sovereignty of the Kingdom in the context of crystallizing and proposing the Moroccan initiative in this regard," that will be submitted by Morocco to the UN.

He added "our cling to the Moroccan identity of our west Sahara is only compared to our care to find out a political negotiated solution for the fabricated conflict over it that allows our southern districts to obtain a self rule, ensuring their citizens to run their own affairs within the context of the sovereignty of the Kingdom and its national and territorial integrity."

The Moroccan king also stressed that people of the area and its voters will be also consulted to this effect, especially tribal chiefs. " They will be also involved in restructuring the 'consultation royal council for the Sahara affairs'."

The UN former special representative of the UN to west Sahara James Baker in 2003 proposed a plan to settle the conflict states a self rule period of five years to be followed by a referendum on self deterimiantion. But Rabat refused this plan and also the principle of the referendum considering that it is inapplicable, and proposed on the other hand a vast self-rule under Moroccan sovereignty.

Worthy mentioning that the Western Sahara is a former Spanish colony that Morocco annexed in 1975 and it has been rivaling with Polisario over it.

Previous Stories:
  Polesario and the killing of Hamdi Lembarki   (11/4/2005)
  Polesario asks UN interference on fate of missing   (11/4/2005)
  Young Saharan killed in confrontations in al-Oyoun city   (11/1/2005)

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