Speaking at the founding ceremony of the "Fédération internationale pour l'autonomie du Sahara", Mohamed Zitouni, the NGO Chairman, noted that the Moroccan proposal to grant substantial autonomy to its Sourthern provinces (the Sahara) responds to the UN Security Council resolution to exit stalemate and reach a final and fair solution to the Sahara issue.
He also called on the UNSC and all the influential countries to act concretely and exert pressure on all parties involved in this "artificial territorial conflict," adding that "the solution suggested by Morocco should be used for a common and concerted action to combat all the threats thart can jeopardize all the Maghreb region-a grouping mustering Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia- and weaken its chances of development and democratization."
The Sahara, a former Spanish colony, was ceded to Morocco in 1975 under the Tripartite Madrid Accords signed with Spain and Mauritania. However, the “Polisario” separatists, emboldened by Algeria, have been since then claiming the independence of this territory.
As to Laurent Muller, chairman of the European association "Cuba libre", he described the Moroccan autonomy project as the “the only alternative to secure stability and welfare in the Maghreb region,”
decrying that Polisario separatists still send children to Cuba, in total violation of international laws.