Madrid, Washington, Paris back efforts to reach final solution to western SAhara conflict

Spain and the United States "encourage parties to make an effort, through dialogue, to reach a final solution" to the Sahara conflict, said in Madrid Spain's Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos during a joint press conference with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.

Spain and the United States have a "particular interest" in seeing the parties reach a "final agreement", said Mr. Moratinos at the end of talks with Ms Rice, the first such a meeting in three years. 

The latest developments of the Sahara issue were among the topics discussed by the two top diplomats. The same support was expressed on the same day in Paris by spokesman of the French Foreign Ministry Jean-Baptiste Mattéi. The spokesman also reiterated his country’s support to Morocco’s initiative to grant substantial autonomy to its Southern Provinces - the Sahara- a former Spanish colony that was ceded to the North African country under the 1975 Madrid Accords.  The Polisario front, an Algerian-backed separatist movement claims the independence of this territory. The Moroccan initiative is a “positive contribution” and a “constructive element” likely to re-launch negotiations between the parties involved in the conflict, the spokesman said.

The meeting in Paris between the two countries’ Foreign ministers is the first since the recent presidential election in France and the formation of a new government.

It comes few days after the visit to the French capital by Peter Van Walsum, Personal Envoy of the U.N. Secretary General for the Sahara, who “informed us about the progress achieved in the implementation of Resolution 1754" of the Security Council adopted on April 30 and calling upon the parties to enter into negotiations "without preconditions in good faith," with a view to achieving a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution.

Early this month, Mr. Van Walsum cancelled a tour in the North WestAfrican region and instead went to Spain and France, where he informed the two countries’ foreign ministers about the “consultations he is undertaking to prepare negotiations between the parties.” 

France supports all efforts of a political solution acceptable by the parties in the framework of the United Nations," Mr. Mattei said on the eve of the meeting Saturday in the French capital between Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and his Moroccan counterpart Mohamed Benaissa  who will be accompanied by Deputy Foreign Minister Taieb Fassi Fihri.

Spain, the United States and France on Friday voiced their support to any effort aiming at reaching a final solution to the three-decade long Sahara dispute, opposing  Morocco to the Algerian-backed separatist movement "Polisario".

source: MAP