Syria supports Sahara as Moroccan territory

Syrian ambassador in Morocco, Ali Hassan, said his country supports the Sahara as Moroccan territory.

In an interview with a Moroccan leftist daily "Al Mounaataf," the Syrian diplomat said Syria is convinced that this serves "Arab unity from the Mashrek (orient) to the Maghreb (west) and is against the partition of the Arab nation."

Almost all Arab states are backing Morocco's claims over the Sahara, a former Spanish colony retrieved in 1975 under the Madrid accords. The United Nations is planning to hold in July 2000 a referendum to give the local population the opportunity to say whether they want to remain part of Morocco or set up their own state, as claimed by the Algerian-backed Polisario movement, MAP reported.

Regarding relations between Syrian and Morocco, the diplomat said they are excellent but regretted that economic cooperation is not satisfactory.

He also recalled Morocco's honorable role during the Arab-Israeli war of 1973 during which Moroccan troops battled with their Arab brothers.

The diplomat further renewed his country's constant position regarding the Middle east peace process. He said Syria wants the process to be based on fair peace, the liberation of occupied Arab territories and the implementation of UN resolutions.

"We are not ready to give up an inch of our land and the Golan has to restored to its homeland, Syria," he insisted.