Speaking to the press at the end of a meeting with Moroccan Foreign Minister Taieb Fassi Fihri, Mr. Gaviria Velez said the autonomy proposal, presented by Morocco to end the 32-year old dispute over the Sahara is "serious and credible, and enjoys the support of the international community."  

    He pointed out that his country calls for the resolution of conflicts through "understanding and peaceful ways".

    He also stated that his meeting with Mr. Fassi Fihri was fruitful and focused on ways to strengthen bilateral relations and issues of common interest.

    The dispute over Morocco’s Southern Provinces broke out in 1976 when the separatist movement, the Polisario, backed by its mentor Algeria, claims to the former Spanish colony that was ceded to Morocco a year earlier under the Madrid Accord.

    In a bid to solve this dispute, Morocco and Polisario held last month (March16-18) the fourth round of negotiations in Manhasset (New York outskirts). The parties agreed to resume negotiations at Manhasset at a date to be determined. The three previous UN-sponsored rounds were held in June, August and January.

    In another development, former president of Bolivia, Carlos Mesa, who was also received by Mr.Fassi, said that he followed, during this meeting, with “great interest” a comprehensive briefing on the Sahara issue, including the autonomy proposal within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty.

   He said, in this regard, that he will transmit to the Bolivian parliament the kingdom’s viewpoint on this issue.

     The Colombian and Bolivian officials are on a visit to Morocco to partake in the 1st Forum of African Emerging Markets (Rabat, April 7-8-9) and the festivities celebrating the 1,200th anniversary of the founding of the city of Fez.

 News and events relating to Western Sahara issue / corcas