The paramilitary activities carried out by the separatist movement (polisario) in the Tifariti buffer zone require action on the part of the United Nations, which we expect to "take the necessary measures to restore the original situation which prevailed in the beginning of the ceasefire in the early 90s," Moroccan Communication Minister and Spokesman for the government Khalid Naciri said on Thursday.

Morocco's initiative to grant substantive autonomy to its southern provinces is the only realistic and fair solution to this issue, Hajbouha Zoubeir, a member of the Royal Consultative Council for Saharan Affairs (CORCAS) said on Wednesday in London.

The operation of family visit exchange, conducted by the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), between the camps in Tindouf in southern Algeria and southern provinces of the kingdom, continued Friday through the organization of the 18th trip for the year 2009, to and from the province of Smara. 

 Azerbaijan has voiced support for the Moroccan proposal to grant broad autonomy to its southern provinces, which remains "the only solution to settle out definitively this dispute" over this territory, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Morocco, Saber Aghabayouv said.

The Parliamentary Morocco-Italian Friendship Group, "Friends of Morocco", said Thursday it positively welcomed the Moroccan initiative to negotiate an autonomy statute for the Sahara.