At a meeting with Moroccan Foreign Minister Delegate, Taieb Fassi Fihri, Gucht said his country has been following with "great interest" the Sahara issue - (triggered in the mid seventies by the claim of the Algeria-backed "Polisario" to separate the Moroccan southern provinces, known as the Sahara, retrieved at the time from Spanish administration under the Madrid accords.)

    Belgium was elected last week non-permanent member of the UNSC and is to sit in the council as of January.

    Fihri said he discussed at the meeting with Gucht bilateral economic and cultural relations and political dialog on regional and international issues, as well as the issue of Moroccan territorial integrity.

    He underscored Morocco’s resolve to find a solution to the Sahara dispute in the respect of the national territorial integrity and within the framework of the UNO; and foster Moroccan-Belgian dialog to help Belgian partners have all the information to make decision on the issue.