Sahara: the Moroccan autonomy plan, serious and credible contribution to a peaceful solution, EU and British officials

Morocco World News/MAP

Rabat, July 11, 2010

According to the Maghreb Arab News Agency, Vice-President of the European Parliament in charge of the Euro-Mediterranean relations, Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou, hailed Morocco for its commitment to find a peaceful solution to the Sahara issue.

“I commend Morocco for its commitment to give a chance to a peaceful solution to the Sahara issue and I am sure that regionalization will enable each region to benefit from its economic, human and technological potentials,” Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou said following a meeting with Secretary of State to the Foreign Minister, Latifa Akharbach.

The European Official congratulated Morocco for the approval of the new constitution which she described as a “bold” step forward for a better future, he added.

Akharbach, for her part, said that the constitutional reform and the strengthening of the democratic process will help Morocco reinforce its status in the Euro-Mediterranean area.

She pointed to Morocco’s commitment to consolidate cooperation and promote Euro-Mediterranean exchange as well as promoting political dialogue between countries in the two shores of the Mediterranean, especially in light of the developments taking place in North Africa.

The meeting was also an opportunity to shed light on the progress of the project to build the Euro-Mediterranean University of Fez.

In the same connection, British Foreign Office Minister for the Middle East, Alistair Burt, commended the Moroccan autonomy plan, calling it a “serious and credible contribution to the UN efforts”, the Maghreb Arab Press news agency reported today.

“The UK considers the Moroccan autonomy plan as a serious and credible contribution to the efforts of the UN Security Council”, Burt was quoted by the Map as saying.

He also stressed that the “UK supports the efforts of the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his personal envoy, Christopher Ross, in order to reach a negotiated political solution to the Sahara issue”, the MAP added.

Picture credit: adventuresfromsahara.com