French former minister: internal autonomy regime to settled Sahara issue

French former home minister, Pierre Chevenement, who will visit Morocco this week, argued in favor of an internal autonomy regime to settle the Sahara issue, insisting that peace in an essential pre-requisite for development in the Maghreb and hoping that the issue will soon find a peaceful settlement.

In an interview with MAP office in Paris, Chevenement who now leads the French party "Mouvement des Citoyens" said it is necessary to settle the issue that should not go on forever poisoning relations between Morocco and Algeria.

After he recalled Algeria's official stance claiming self-determination for the area, he underlined the need to reach a solution that results from closer consultation between Morocco and Algeria and to build confidence between the two countries.

Regarding the situation in Algeria, he expressed pain at events happening there and argued that the country should be helped to find a balance of all components making up its identity. "There should a viable balance: a strong and open identity," he said.

He went on that Morocco can do a lot to help Algeria reach this balance, at least through the stability image it offers.