07/04/2006
King Mohammed VI's breakthrough pledge to grant autonomy to Western Sahara should ease concerns on all sides over the territory's fate, said the Sahrawi chairman of the Royal Consultative Council for Sahara Affairs. "It is the first time in the kingdom's history that a Moroccan king promised autonomy for the Sahrawis," Khali Henna Ould Errachid told Reuters on Wednesday (5 April). "The autonomy satisfies the aspirations of all Sahrawis. It will end the conflict. I have no doubt about that," he added.
Morocco planned to outline the autonomy plan by the time the UN Security Council met to review progress on efforts to resolve the conflict this month. "It is impossible to submit the autonomy plan in April. Consultations on the autonomy have not been wrapped up yet," the 51-year-old Sahrawi leader noted.
Errachid said when the plan is finalised, he expects autonomy will allow Sahrawis to freely elect a local government to manage their affairs, while Morocco will keep control of defence, diplomacy and other tasks of state sovereignty. (Reuters)