Turkey has no relationship with Polisario, ambassador

Turkey has no relationship, either official or other, with the Polisario, reaffirmed Turkish ambassador to Rabat, Akin Algan, in an interview published by the weekly in French Maroc-Hebdo International.

The Algeria-backed Polisario separatists are claiming the separation of Morocco's southern provinces, known as the Sahara. This former Spanish colony was retrieved by Morocco in 1975 under the Madrid accord.

Algan also denied the existence of a crisis between the two countries because of a book on the Kurds issue, edited in Morocco, as reported by some papers.

"Actually, this book does not exist. It is simply the publication of an international organization that said Kurds make 20% of the Turkish population," he explained, deploring that the cause of this imbroglio is certain Arab media that misinterpreted this information and made a whole crisis scenario between the two countries.

The diplomat reiterated his country's position on the Sahara issue, saying Turkey supports the Minurso (French acronym for the UN mission for the Sahara) and the efforts of the UN secretary general and his special representative. Turkey is in favor of a settlement negotiated between all concerned parties, in the framework of the United Nations.

Answering a question on the free trade agreement signed between Morocco and Turkey in April 2004, the ambassador said once implemented (in 2005), it will allow Turkish operators to set up in Morocco and have access to West-African markets, and vice-versa.

Moroccan-Turkish trade reached in 2003 some US$ 260 million, against 200 millions in 2002.