Referendum is 'unworkable, impossible'
12/20/2006
Referendum on self-determination in the Sahara is "unworkable and impossible" because of the complexity of the voters' identification operation, affirmed on Friday chairperson of The Advisory Royal Council for Sahrawi Affairs (CORCAS), Khalihenna Ould Errachid.
To carry out this operation, "we should modify almost all the Maghreb," that's why the United Nations has buried the Baker Plan, said Ould Errachid to the French Radio International (RFI).
Heading a CORCAS delegation, Khalihenna Ould Errachid wrapped on Friday a visit to France, where he briefed French politicians and civil society on the Sahara issue that has been object to a dispute started in the mid-seventies by the Algeria-backed "Polisario" that claims the separation of the provinces from Morocco, after the latter retrieved them from Spanish rule under the Madrid accord. Ould Errachid noted "to carry out a genuine referendum of identification based on the Sahrawi tribes, it would be necessary to change the borders of Morocco, Algeria, Mali and Mauritania and there would be a Sahrawi group where there would be no need to identification." He underlined the viability of Morocco’s proposal of southern provinces autonomy as the only solution to this issue. “We will make an autonomy in the Moroccan way, which is inspired of already-lived experiences,” he added, citing in this respect the example of Catalonia.
CORCAS chairperson called on the other parties to launch negotiations “on the basis of autonomy” to contribute in settling this issue, noting that contrary to certain allegations, Morocco favors negotiation as a means to get out of the current deadlock.
While urging Algeria, which hosts the “Polisario” separatists on its territory, to contribute in settling this issue, he said he was confident in the relationship between the two countries. “There is no room to worry, for there will never be a conflict between Algeria and Morocco,” he stressed.
Sources: the political site of Western Sahara: http://www.corcas.com/
The Western Sahara portail: http://www.sahara-online.net/
The site of the hassani culture : http://www.sahara-culture.com/
12/20/2006
Referendum on self-determination in the Sahara is "unworkable and impossible" because of the complexity of the voters' identification operation, affirmed on Friday chairperson of The Advisory Royal Council for Sahrawi Affairs (CORCAS), Khalihenna Ould Errachid.
To carry out this operation, "we should modify almost all the Maghreb," that's why the United Nations has buried the Baker Plan, said Ould Errachid to the French Radio International (RFI).
Heading a CORCAS delegation, Khalihenna Ould Errachid wrapped on Friday a visit to France, where he briefed French politicians and civil society on the Sahara issue that has been object to a dispute started in the mid-seventies by the Algeria-backed "Polisario" that claims the separation of the provinces from Morocco, after the latter retrieved them from Spanish rule under the Madrid accord. Ould Errachid noted "to carry out a genuine referendum of identification based on the Sahrawi tribes, it would be necessary to change the borders of Morocco, Algeria, Mali and Mauritania and there would be a Sahrawi group where there would be no need to identification." He underlined the viability of Morocco’s proposal of southern provinces autonomy as the only solution to this issue. “We will make an autonomy in the Moroccan way, which is inspired of already-lived experiences,” he added, citing in this respect the example of Catalonia.
CORCAS chairperson called on the other parties to launch negotiations “on the basis of autonomy” to contribute in settling this issue, noting that contrary to certain allegations, Morocco favors negotiation as a means to get out of the current deadlock.
While urging Algeria, which hosts the “Polisario” separatists on its territory, to contribute in settling this issue, he said he was confident in the relationship between the two countries. “There is no room to worry, for there will never be a conflict between Algeria and Morocco,” he stressed.
Sources: the political site of Western Sahara: http://www.corcas.com/
The Western Sahara portail: http://www.sahara-online.net/
The site of the hassani culture : http://www.sahara-culture.com/
