International community convinced of need to reach negotiated political solution for Sahara, USFP party

The international community is convinced of the need to find a negotiated political settlement to the Sahara dispute that opposes Morocco to the Algeria-backed Polisario front which claims the separation of Morocco's southern provinces (Sahara) from the rest of the country, said first secretary of the Socialist Union for Popular Forces (USFP- party in government).

The Sahara, formerly occupied by Spain was retrieved by Morocco in 1975 under the Madrid Accords signed with Spain and Mauritania. Mohamed El Yazghi, also minister of territory development, environment and water, told the Arab daily "Al-Sharq Al-Awsat" the appointment by Kofi Annan of a new representative for the Sahara "means that the Baker (settlement) plan is out-of-date."

He added that the latest resolutions of the UN Security Council have referred to "self-determination which Morocco believes is possible to implement as part of a regionalization that gives populations of southern provinces large management prerogatives."

El Yazghi hoped that the latest encounter between King Mohammed VI and Algerian president, Abdellaziz Bouteflika, would restore trust between the two states.

The two heads of state met on the fringes of the Arab Summit held on March 22-23 in Algiers.