27 March 2006
Moroccan, U.S. Officials Confer on Western Sahara
United States supports resolution of 30-year-old Western Sahara conflict
Senior U.S. and Moroccan officials met in Washington March 24 to discuss resolution of the three-decades-old conflict in the Western Sahara and promotion of reforms in Morocco, the State Department announced.
Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick and Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch met with Morocco Minister Delegate for Foreign Affairs Taieb Fihri and Morocco Permanent Representative to the United Nations Moustapha Sahel, according to a response to a question taken at the March 24 State Department briefing.
Morocco's King Mohammed VI has said he could support a negotiated solution that would give Western Sahara a large degree of autonomy, and the Moroccan government has expressed its willingness to draw up such a plan. Morocco annexed the territory in 1976 after Spain evacuated its former colony.
The Algeria-based Polisario Front, which has been fighting for the independence of Western Sahara, released 404 Moroccan prisoners in 2005 in a move that was facilitated by the United States.
For information on U.S. policy in the region, see Middle East and North Africa.
Following is the text of the taken question and its response:
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
March 24, 2006
QUESTION TAKEN AT THE MARCH 24 DAILY PRESS BRIEFING
MOROCCO: VISIT OF MOROCCAN DELEGATION
Question: What can the U.S. say about the Moroccan delegation visit and what is being discussed, particularly on Western Sahara?
Answer: Moroccan Minister Delegate for Foreign Affairs Taieb Fassi Fihri and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Moustapha Sahel met with Deputy Secretary Zoellick and Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch earlier today. Discussions centered on bilateral and regional issues including reform and the Western Sahara.
The United States has strongly supported international efforts to resolve the Western Sahara conflict. Our approach remains unchanged: we encourage all parties to work towards a resolution in the context of the United Nations that is mutually agreed to and accepted by the parties. The United States played a facilitative role in the August 2005 release and safe return of 404 Moroccan prisoners of war held by the Polisario Front in Algeria.
The Government of Morocco recently expressed a willingness to lay out a plan for autonomy for the Western Sahara and we have encouraged them to put forward a strong proposal so that all parties can subsequently examine and discuss it.
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(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
