Maouelainin Ben Khalihanna Maouelainin made the statement on the sidelines of the Council's extraordinary session, held here Thursday, to consider the autonomy project that Morocco is due to present in a bid to definitely settle the Sahara issue.

    The Sahara is subject of a dispute between Morocco and an Algeria-backed separatist movement, Polisario, that lays claims to the Moroccan southern provinces retrieved by the north African kingdom from the Spanish rule in 1976 under the Madrid Accords.

    The opening of CORCAS three-day extraordinary session also resulted in the creation of five commissions on social affairs, human development and environment; foreign affairs and cooperation; human rights; public freedom and the freedom of the camps populations; economy, education and training; and on the promotion of Hassani (local sahrawi) culture, information and communication.

    Maouelainin said the legal and organic aspects of the autonomy project should be thoroughly considered to devise an applicable project.

    Chairman of the Council, Khalihenna Ould Errachid affirmed in an address to the opening session, the autonomy project aims to “guarantee a better future and a dignified and stable life to all the citizens of these [southern] regions.”

    The official described the project as an “unprecedented qualitative leap” and a “sole solution” to the deadlock that hampers the region for three decades now.