23/04/2006
King Mohammed VI has ordered the release of all 48 Western Sahara prisoners currently being held in Moroccan jails for political or criminal reasons. The pardon followed a request from the Royal Consultative Council on Sahrawi Affairs, set up by the king during his visit in late March to Laayoune.
The move comes a day after UN Secretary General Kofi Annan urged Morocco to hold direct talks with the Polisario Front in order to reach a mutually acceptable political solution on the territory's status. Morocco has rejected the UN-sponsored peace plan involving immediate self-government for Western Sahara and a referendum on independence within five years, but has offered to give the territory greater autonomy. (BBC, AFP, Le Matin)