France voices backing to US-proposed frame-work agreement on Sahara

France on Tuesday voiced backing to a US-sponsored draft resolution presented to the United Nations Security Council on a frame-work agreement on the Sahara.

For France the frame-work agreement "is the sole option" likely to ensure a "realistic" solution and "lasting" settlement to the Sahara issue, said Ms. Laurence Auer, assistant spokesperson for the French foreign department.

The US draft resolution recommends, in line with the wish of James Baker, who has been the top U.N. mediator for the Sahara since 1995, an internal autonomy for the Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty and territorial integrity, Ms. Auer said.

On a possible failure of the ongoing consultations at the UN, Ms. Auer renewed France's backing to the efforts of the U.N. Secretary General, Kofi Annan, and his special envoy, James Baker.