Western Sahara: King of Morocco receives UN envoy
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RABAT- The Special Envoy of the UN in Western Sahara, Christopher Ross, was received Thursday by King Mohammed VI in Tetouan (north) of Morocco as part of a tour of the region, says Moroccan official source.
- Mr. Ross made no statements after his talks with the Moroccan monarch.
However, the communications minister, Khaled Nacri, said that Rabat is "strongly" interested in finding of a solution to the conflict in Western Sahara, while accusing Algeria of hindering the process of negotiations with the Polisario Front under the auspices of UN.
"Morocco is more than open and is definitely willing to turn the page of the tunnel in which the Algerian diplomacy has led us," said Mr. Naciri, also spokesman of the government.
He also accused Algeria of being "one of the main obstacles for the building of the Maghreb and, worse, Maghreb security. M. Naciri criticized Algeria for not having invited Morocco to a regional conference on the "fight against terrorism and transnational crime," March 16 in Algiers.
Algiers and the Polisario regularly accuse Rabat of rejecting the option of a referendum for self-determination in this former Spanish colony that Morocco annexed in 1975. They want independence.
The tour by Christopher Ross, who arrived Wednesday in Morocco, will lead him until March 25, to Mauritania and Algeria.
He will be received by the presidents of both countries and will meet in Tindouf (southwestern Algeria), the Polisario leader Mohammed Abdellaziz, a diplomatic source said.
Mr. Ross is to prepare a report to be presented to the Security Council of the UN for adoption in late April, added the source.
The tour comes after informal talks held on 10 and February 11 near New York between Morocco and the Polisario, but both parties were not able to overcome their disagreements.
It was the second such meeting after that of Vienna in August.
To end the conflict, Morocco offers a wide autonomy under its sovereignty. Polisario rejected this proposal.
- Ennaharonline/ M. O.
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