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United States Welcomes Moroccan Proposal on Western Sahara

U.S. urges Morocco, Polisario to negotiate without preconditions

A proposal from the Moroccan government to resolve its three-decades-old dispute with the Polisario Front over the future of the Western Sahara is a good basis for direct negotiations between the parties, a top U.S. official said June 6.

"We consider the Moroccan proposal to provide real autonomy for the Western Sahara to be serious and credible," David Welch, assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, told members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Morocco claimed sovereignty over the Western Sahara when Spain withdrew its colonial presence in 1975. The Polisario Front, a native Sahrawi movement, demanded independence for the territory and fought Moroccan forces from a base in neighboring Tindouf, Algeria, until a 1991 cease-fire put an end to the hostilities.

Welch said it is necessary for the two sides to engage in direct negotiations without preconditions. The parties tentatively have agreed to meet under the auspices of the United Nations later in June. Welch said U.S. officials have urged Morocco to be open to compromise in the negotiations and have received assurances that the Moroccans are "willing to hear any reasonable ideas that might address elements of this proposal."

Both Morocco and the Polisario Front advanced proposals for resolving the situation to the United Nations in April, but Welch said the Moroccan proposal offered more material for discussion. "It offers a potential path forward," he said. "We think this is a chance to put something new on the table and address it."

Welch said Morocco is intent on allowing the Sahrawi people to participate in determining their future.

"Any settlement of the Western Sahara must also take into account the concerns of the Sahrawi people and be consistent with their right of self-determination," he said. "Morocco has said its proposal would be subject to a vote by the Sahrawi people."

In the past, proposed referenda on Sahrawi independence have failed to materialize, with each side blaming the other for thwarting the vote. The new Moroccan proposal offers a more modest plan for Sahrawi autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty, falling short of the Polisario's demand for complete independence.

"Unless something more is done to address this problem, it'll remain a thorn in the side of two of the most important countries in North Africa: Morocco and Algeria," he said. He added that the ongoing tensions and instability have created human rights concerns for the Sahrawi people as well.

The full text of Welch's testimony is available on the House Foreign Affairs Committee Web site.

Source: U.S. Department of State