Morocco has called on Algeria and the Polisario Front to be “positive” during the fourth round of talks on the Western Sahara conflict 16-18 March in Manhasset, a suburb in New York, under UN supervision. “The government is appealing to the other sides, particularly sister Algeria, to participate positively in the talks on the proposed autonomy,” offered by Rabat, the Moroccan Prime Minister, Abbas El Fassi, was quoted by TV “2M”, Thursday. The proposal is a ”realistic and fair political settlement to the artificial conflict” it would help “meet the aspirations of our peoples in order to establish the Arab Maghreb on a solid base”. The Arab Maghreb Union, established in 1989 in Marrakech, groups Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia and Mauritania. El Fassi also underscored “Morocco’s constant readiness to negotiate autonomy, all autonomy and nothing but autonomy”. The Algeria-backed Polisario Front has rejected Morocco’s proposal for autonomy and has instead asked for a self-determination referendum. The former Spanish colony of Western Sahara has been under Moroccan control since 1975. Panapress
