Rabat sees Sahara issue settlement based on autonomy within Moroccan kingty

Morocco's Communication minister and Government Spokesman, Nabil Benabdellah, said that a settlement of the Sahara issue should be based on "the principle of autonomy within clearly established Moroccan sovereignty."

In an interview with the Paris-based weekly "Jeune Afrique l'Intelligent," Benabdellah stressed that Morocco is ready to discuss the issue "only within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty."

The United Nations' Secretary General's Personal Envoy for the Sahara, James Baker's first plan was geared to this end without setting a timetable, recalled the Moroccan official, noting that the latest plan "which provides for a provisional autonomy that results in a referendum is no longer Baker's plan as far as Morocco is concerned."

"This proposal, ie referendum after a provisional period of autonomy, is actually what the United Nations had advocated for years," he went to explain, adding that "this kind of settlement is not viable." He further argued for a "political settlement that all parties must reach."

Touching on the re-opening of the Moroccan-Algerian borders, he said that "in a democratic and united Maghreb, each country must respect the other's sovereignty."

"Issues like sovereignty and visas are part of a comprehensive agreement. In fact they are part of a package we're negotiating with our Algerian friends," he went on, expressing hope that these issues will be settled without delay.