Sahara: Mexico for a solution 'satisfactory to all parties'

Mexican president, Vicente Fox Questada, said his country encourages a solution to the Sahara conflict that is "satisfactory to all parties."

In an interview with Moroccan weekly "la Gazette du Maroc" prior to his visit to Morocco, president Fox said Mexico has good relations with all parties to the conflict that is opposing Morocco to the Algeria-backed Polisario separatists who claim the separation of Morocco's southern provinces (the Sahara) from the rest of the country.

Defending his country's stance on the Sahara question, the Mexican president said "we have adopted a positive neutrality regarding this issue, and we convincingly back all actions for a peaceful solution with the consent of all concerned parties under the aegis of the United Nations."

"Mexico will closely follow this issue," he went on.

On Moroccan-Mexican relations, Vicente Fox said the two sides have defined priorities in bilateral cooperation, especially in water management and trade exchanges.

The Mexican president highlighted Morocco's knowledge of the European market, saying the north African country will also "serve for us as a bridge between the Maghreb and Sub-Saharan Africa."

He noted that his country will be a gateway for Moroccan businessmen to North America, central America and Latin America.

The Mexican president said last December his upcoming visit to Morocco would allow the concretization of accords signed between the two countries during the visit of King Mohammed VI to Mexico on November 2004.

The two sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) providing for the creation of a consultation mechanism to review bilateral relations and cooperation, as well as an accord on agricultural cooperation.