The proposal being devised by Morocco "fulfils the expectations of the international community, which looks forward to constructive initiatives to break the stalemate, and reach a final, negotiated political solution to the artificial dispute over our country's territorial integrity," a communiqué of the King's Private Office said Friday.
The communiqué was issued at the end of the meetings between these parties and the King's advisor aimed at informing them of the progress being made in preparing the draft proposal.
They insisted that "the aim of the proposal is to enable the inhabitants of the Moroccan Sahara to run their local affairs themselves, through elected, regional representative and executive institutions."
The three-day meetings, the communiqué said, "reflect His Majesty's democratic, consultative approach, which seeks to involve all national institutions and stakeholders in addressing the nation’s vital issues."
Similar meetings were held these past days with the Prime Minister, the Speakers of the two Houses of the Parliament and the leaders of the Royal Advisory Council for Saharan Affairs (CORCAS).
The leaders of the political parties deemed that this proposal is “a solution which is likely to open greater prospects for building a strong Arab Maghreb on sound bases”.
The Maghreb countries (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania) have established in 1989 the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA), a regional grouping that is facing a stalemate because of the Sahara dispute and Algeria’s political, military, diplomatic and financial support to the separatist movement “Polisario”.The latter claims independence of the Sahara, a former Spanish colony retrieved by Morocco in 1975 under the Madrid Accords signed with Spain and Mauritania.