U.S. says Morocco's autonomy proposal for Western Sahara respects self-determination principle - 7/12/2007

The United States described Morocco's proposal to grant autonomy to its Southern Provinces, The Western Sahara, as the "realistic and promising" path towards the settlement of the 30-year-old dispute between Morocco and the Algeria-backed Polisario separatists.

The statement was made Wednesday by the American deputy ambassador at the United Nations, Jackie Sanders. "We believe that a significant autonomy is the promising and realistic way" to solve the dispute, she told the press at the end of the Security Council consultations on the UN Secretary General's report on the progress of negotiations on the Sahara.

The diplomat said the Moroccan initiative is "flexible and provides for holding a referendum" thus "respecting the principle of self-determination of the population of the Western Sahara."

Ms. Sanders reiterated her country's position which hailed the autonomy proposal Morocco has presented to the UNSC past April as "serious and credible,” adding that such a move would push forward the process towards a settlement.”

The U.S official praised the organization of the first round of talks between Morocco and the Polisaro on the Sahara on June 18-19 in New York outskirts, as called for by resolution 1754 of the Security Council issued on April 30.

The diplomat voiced hope the two parties would achieve “progress” during the second round of talks slated for August 10.

The U.S. appreciation of the Moroccan autonomy project seems to have gathered pace in the recent week. Speaking to the Al Jazeera satellite channel recently, U.S. deputy state secretary for the Maghreb and the Middle East, Gordon Gray said “what is most important in this regard is to find a solution to the issue, according to a method that takes into account self-determination, and that the two parties deem in keeping with their interests.”

He added in a more express statement that “self-determination does not necessarily mean independence.” Similar wordings were coached in the April report of the U.N. secretary general personal envoy, Peter Van Walsum who made it clear that referendum was not automatically a synonym of independence, as claimed by the Polisario separatists.

The dispute over the control of The Sahara erupted in 1976, a year after Spain – former colonizer of the region – ceded this territory to Morocco under the Madrid Accord signed with Spain and Mauritania.

The Algeria-based Polisario, which enjoys military, logistical, financial, political and diplomatic support from this oil-rich country, then waged a sixteen-year war against Morocco, which was only ended under a U.N.-brokered cease-fire concluded in 1991.

Source : http://www.corcas.com