Baker's resignation, a 'failure' in his mission, Press

The resignation of James Baker, Personal Envoy of the UN chief for the Sahara, made the headlines of Monday's newspapers in Morocco with some describing his move as a "failure" in his mission to broker a solution to the nearly three decades dispute opposing Morocco to the Algerian-backed separatist movement "Polisario."

Noting that Mr. Baker "failed" in his attempts to find a political solution acceptable to all parties, "Aujourd'hui Le Maroc" (in French) considers the move as the outcome of Morocco's perseverance to seek a "political solution to the conflict that cares for its legitimate rights over its Southern provinces." This perseverance, the daily went on, has "shown the counter-productive nature" of Baker's handling this dispute, as he did "rule out" Algeria as a main protagonist in this dispute, despite this country's political, military and financial support to the Polisario.