Sahrawis reject Baker plan for the Sahara in European parliament

A delegation representing the populations of Moroccan southern provinces expressed Monday in the European parliament in Strasbourg rejection of the latest plan over the Sahara mooted by James Baker, the personal envoy of the United Nations Secretary General.

The delegation, that groups former members of the Polisario (Algeria-based guerrilla movement claiming the independence of the Moroccan southern provinces) and Sahrawi notables, said it rebuffs all solutions that do not take into account the full sovereignty of Morocco over its territories.

A memo expressing the Sahrawi populations' resolve to face anyone who challenges the Moroccan identity of the Sahara or seeks to split up the Moroccan nation was handed to members of the foreign affairs commission in the European parliament and co-chairman of the Moroccan-European parliament friendship group, Philippe Morillon.

"As representatives of the overwhelming majority in the of Sahrawi populations, we reiterate attachment to the Moroccan identity of the Sahara and we categorically reject the latest proposals of James Baker," Khalil Dkhil, who leads the delegation and is member of the consultative council in charge of Sahara affairs, told MAP, warning over threats of inter-tribe and civil war underliying Baker's plan.

The delegation is scheduled to meet other European deputies this week to discuss the same issue.

Another delegation representing Moroccan southern provinces was in Paris last week on a similar mission.