Southern provinces autonomy is the "maximal solution that Morocco can accept" and this is the "only credible option,"  he said at a press briefing with national and international press covering the royal visit to the southern provinces that the sovereign kicked off Monday in Laayoune.
 
    The Sahara issue has been opposing, since 1976, Morocco to the Algeria-backed "Polisario" separatist movement that lays claims to Morocco southern provinces (the Sahara).
 
    The autonomy, the minister noted, is the "only feasible option that could end the deadlock," underlining that no "other option can give tranquility to the region population."
 
    He underlined that Morocco has developed an approach that could bring together all the Moroccan people, including those in Tindouf camps (southwestern Algeria).
 
    Evoking the current discussions in Morocco about autonomy, he deemed “natural that this process includes southern provinces populations, political parties and all society components” who show a “strong will to take part in these discussions.”
 
    In an interview with the Qatari satellite channel “Al Jazeera” aired on Tuesday, Benabdallah said that Morocco has suggested a comprehensive approach to settle the issue through an autonomy in line with Moroccan sovereignty and territorial integrity.
 
    He also affirmed that king Mohammed VI’s visit to the Southern provinces, which concurred with the latest development in the Sahara issue,  is part of the reform, development, modernization and democratization process launched in Morocco.