Morocco’s invitation of Algeria for a direct dialogue over the Western Sahara conflict is faced with an impasse as the algerian government maintains that the settlement should be done under the aegis of the United Nations.
by Kaci Racelma our corespondent in Algiers
Morocco which considers Algeria as a party to the Western Sahara conflict has already called for a one on one dialogue. But Algeria has never accepted any involvement although the Moroccan government considers it as a prerequisite to the settling of the issue.
Algerian president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika who has termed Western Sahara as “the last colony in Africa” has always pleaded in favour of a fair and just settlement under the aegis of United Nations during the various meetings, particularly in the african union.
For Algeria, the unilateral “autonomy” solution suggested by Morocco is illegitimate as the Saharawi people have the right to decide on their own “fate” through a referendum.
A statement released by Morocco saying, “Algeria has no desire to close the Sahara file, but rather persists in its obstinacy…” has been called a “provocation” by the Algerian civil society.
Results of the Manhassat negotiations, held recently in United states, has been called an enormous “deception” by the Algerian media due to Morocco’s insistence on “maintaining its decision for autonomy” and also intending not to respect the implementation of the UN Security Council’s resolutions 1754 and 1783, which require Saharawi people’s right to self-determination.
Although the Algerian government has not made any statement regarding its position, there is an indication that it favours the Saharawi people’s right to self-determination as stipulated by the Security Council’s resolutions 1754 and 1783.
