This meeting was attended by Mr. Mike Duran Director for the Middle East, at the Domestic Security Council, Mr. Nicolas Ramchar director of the Middle East, in charge of the Maghreb, Mr. Robert Ewing, in charge of the Moroccan Office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thomas Riley, U.S. Ambassador to Morocco and the Ambassador of Morocco in the United States Aziz Mekouar.
The delegation, which includes about ten members of the Royal Advisory Council for Saharan Affairs held discussions with U.S. Senator Tom Lantos, and a working meeting with Mr. John Alterman, director of the Middle East program at international strategic studies center. Members of the U.S. Congress praised the self-governance project in the southern provinces of the Kingdom, which was proposed by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, saying that this proposal conforms with the concepts and principles of democracy internationally recognized, as it constitutes a distinct contribution to the solution to the Sahara issue.
This came during a meeting which brought together at the Congress the delegation of the Royal Advisory Council for Saharan Affairs led by Khalihenna Ould Errachid, President of the Council, with members of the House of Representatives and members of the "Morocco Cokies" Association at the Congress highlighting the democratic nature of this proposal, whether at the Arab or African or Maghreb levels.
During these meetings, attended by the Ambassador of Morocco Aziz Mekouar, the President of the Royal Advisory Council for Saharan Affairs said that self-government is fully compatible with the standards of democracy, pluralism and respect for human rights, and constitutes the best solution to this issue as there would be no loser, in the sense that this solution preserves the sovereignty of Morocco and gives people the possibility of running their own affairs.
Mr. Ould Errachid noted that, "Sahara dispute is not positive for the residents of this region, in the Maghreb, in the African continent," he said, adding that the conflict has delayed the building of the Arab Maghreb Union, divided Africa and still is a hotbed of tension in the region. He also warned against the danger of infiltration of terrorist movements in the region, with the support of a dangerous mixture consisting of movements outside the scope of the law, and brokers of illegal immigration and smuggling of weapons.
Corcas delegation held a series of discussions with U.S. officials and leaders of several institutions and experts. The delegation also held meetings with members of the Moroccan community living in Washington. The delegation includes Khalihenna Ould Errachid, Secretary General Maoulainain Ben Khalihenna, Kalthoum Alkhayat Gajmoula Ben Abi, Moulay Al-Hassan Chrif, Abdel Aziz Aba, Othman Aila, Omar Bouida Khaddad Moussaoui, Ali Salem Chakkaf and Moulay Ahmed Mghizlat