Mr. President started the conference with an introductory speech in which he presented the following topics:

- Corcas definition: Royal institution set up by His Majesty the King on 25/03/2006 in Laayoune, composed of 141 members representing various Saharan tribes, political organizations, trade unions and some former political prisoners. It is an appointed not elected institution in accordance with the representation traditions in the South. Its main task is to find a solution to the dispute over the Sahara through reconciliation with immediate effect with our brothers in Polisario.
- Autonomy is the ultimate solution to this issue, which will be submitted by Morocco in October to the United Nations
- Autonomy is a known and advanced system in Spain.
- Autonomy is designed to meet the historical and necessary needs and demands of the Saharan population, while maintaining the Saharan specificities and personality as one component of the Moroccan people, who played major roles in the modern and old Moroccan history
- Autonomy experiences are diversified across the world (Spain, Germany, Belgium ...) as a form of self-determination against secession
- Autonomy, form of democracy participation and integration within the mother State
- A brief overview on the status of the conflict through the option of war and its disastrous effects. Peace process and its deficiencies that made it unworkable bringing about radical change to the map of the border countries
- Moroccan King Mohammed VI, the young King of Morocco, which wants to make the state respond to the requirements of modern times at the same time maintain the fixed principles, and wants a solution to the problem by giving the Sahara region and the population participatory democratic means respecting Sahrawi personality and maintaining national sovereignty

- Corcas delegation visit to the Spanish capital Madrid and meetings held there with the actors, political decision-makers, trade unions and strategic studies institutes
- The current visit aims to get inspired by international experience in the field of self-government, especially the Spanish experience as a model of unity, internal solidarity and economic, social and cultural development
- So far, the visit is a success
- This visit is also an opportunity for us to ask our brothers in Spain to use lobbying and mediation to make Polisario Front accept dialogue and negotiation
- We ask our brothers in the Polisario Front to abandon dogmatism and adopt realistic and pragmatic policy
- The reality of the region calls for speeding up the solution because of the magnitude of the challenges, especially illegal immigration and smuggling of every hue
- We want stability in the region as it might turn into a box of gunpowder that can explode at any moment
- Autonomy gain and victory for all: Morocco will preserve its territorial sovereignty. Algeria will get out of the conflict in dignity. Sahrawis and Polisario Front will have their legitimate and historical demands

The media questions focused on what follows:

- Corcas stages in the preparation of autonomy plan
- The status of the Polisario Front and its current position
- Autonomy criteria
- Position of the political parties that have been in dialogue with Spain
- The central position of the Socialist Labor Party
- Polisario activity in Laayoune
- Corcas and Saharan representation
- King and Corcas
- What is required from the Spanish political parties
- Self-determination referendum
- Polisario participation in the preparation of autonomy
- Humanitarian assistance to the camps

In response to these questions, Mr. President raised the following points:

- Corcas special session 25/26/27 May 2006, which focused on autonomy plan by 141 members. The session was open until the completion of all elements of the project which we will be submitted to His Majesty the King within the next month of September. This project does not exclude anyone, including our brothers in the Polisario Front, which we hope it will participate in this preparation.
- Polisario Front is in difficult situation. It does not respond to the realities of global transformations as a dogmatic movement based on single party and single opinion coupling between political and military aspects.
- Polisario Front does not represent Sahrawis
- We want to negotiate with it as a political pragmatic and realistic party. The situation of the camps inhabitants is of concern, because they have been suffering for over 30 years from poverty and deprivation.
- Self-governance standards are in line with international standards, where power is shared between the center and autonomy institutions
- sovereignty elements are clear and the rest are negotiable
- We call Spanish political parties to mediate and intervene to help us go to the negotiating table with our brothers in Polisario
- Our meeting with the Spanish Socialist Labour Party was positive and we received full support
- Relationship between Spain and Morocco are distinguished
- There are young people in Laayoune who freely express their separatist ideas without any problem, they move internally and externally without barriers example Aminatou Haidara and Ali Salem Tamek, though they form a minority. 40 people met with human rights envoy of the United Nations who visited Laayoune, stayed for three days and acknowledged that there is no violation of the freedom of opinion and expression. On the other hand, people live in camps in inhumane conditions in a climate of lack of freedom of opinion and expression. No one can criticize the front’s policy. Absence of pluralism. Absence of the press. But the question is why the Spanish media keep silent although they revere democracy and human rights about violations and atrocities in the Tindouf especially at this moment that the region is cut off from the world?
- The question of representativeness is clear the camps population are one third and the Sahara population two-thirds
- Corcas is not autonomy, but a royal institution working to create objective conditions for the achievement of self-government.
- Corcas is appointed by the King and not an elected institution
- We want an autonomy taking into account the international standards of democracy and human rights in line with the Moroccan specificities
- Autonomy’s major impact in the modernization of the Moroccan State
- the visit and the coming visits designed to enhance consultations with our neighbors and mediation in order to activate negotiations with our brothers in the camps
- Referendum is not feasible politically and technically
- Autonomy is for all Sahrawis including Polisario,
- We contacted a number of associations that support and sympathize with Polisari
- These associations are not neutral
- We ask them to deal with all Sahrawis, without exception,

Source: Corcas
(News concerning Western Sahara issue / Corcas)