The chairman of the Royal Advisory Council for Saharan Affairs (CORCAS), Mr. Ould Errachid Khalihenna, met May 31 in Rabat, with the U.S. Ambassador to Morocco Thomas Riley.
CORCAS chairman said in a statement to the press after the meeting, which "took place in a very cordial climate" that talks focused on the tasks entrusted to the Council, stating that " we appreciate the understanding of the American ambassador, which promised to assist us in accomplishing our task. "
Autonomy proposal for the southern provinces and the actions taken by the Council to settle the Sahara issue were also discussed during the talks, he added.
Mr. Khalihenna Ould Errachid explained that the American diplomat wanted to inquire about the situation in person, adding that the United States attaches great importance to resolving the Sahara issue.
For his part, the U.S. ambassador said he had become aware during the meeting of "Corcas responsibilities, actions it has undertaken and its objectives", adding that the meeting was a very important opportunity to exchange views and get in touch with the Council leaders.
After the establishment of this institution, he said, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, «provided information on this issue, on the responsibilities and activities of the Council."
This meeting was attended by Corcas Secretary General , M. Maouelainin Ben Khalihenna Maouelainin and committee chairmen.
Statement by Mr. Thomas Riley after the visit,
We were to some extent aware of the Council's responsibility and activities, but finally we met directly with its officials and this much better because we had a frank exchange with respect to the challenges and responsibilities of the Council and thus the meeting was positive and would not be the last.
Statement by Mr. Khalihenna Ould Errachid
The message is that the United States is an important country in the world in United Nations and the Security Council; it is greatly interested in resolving the issue. They wanted to know things directly from us in this matter.