German mp: No settlement to Sahara issue outside Morocco's kingty

"There can be no settlement to the Sahara issue out of Moroccan sovereignty," German Social Democratic Party (SPD) deputy and former state secretary of foreign affairs, Cristophe Zopel, said Thursday.

The deputy, who called for a political settlement to the issue, described the situation of people sequestered in the camps of Tindouf (southwestern Algeria) as "one of the most tragic in history."

Speaking at a meeting here with Moroccan women MPS, currently visiting Germany, the German official said this situation is "unacceptable and unjustifiable," and insisted it "must come to an end with the release of all those detained in the camps."

Lauding the ties between his party and Moroccan Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP), Zopel said he will lead a delegation of his party to Morocco to enhance Moroccan-German and Arab-German ties.