"It is an occasion where the U.S. officials have strongly reaffirmed the national position of their country on the Sahara issue, that autonomy is the only possible way to settle this regional dispute," Fassi Fihri told the press following his meetings, Monday in New York, with State Department officials on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

      The minister had met Under Secretary of State for the Middle East and North Africa, David Welch and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Mr. William Burns, part of the follow-up to the recent visit of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to Morocco and other countries in the region.

    "Thus, it is the reaffirmation by the U.S. administration of its position as expressed by President George W. Bush in a letter addressed to His Majesty King Mohammed VI," he said.

    Fassi Fihri also said that his talks with the US officials also mentioned "the need for the Maghreb, the importance of building the Maghreb and the importance of trust between the different countries of the region."

Source: MAP
News and events on Western Sahara issue / Corcas