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Monday, April 20, 2009

Majority in congress back autonomy plan for Western Sahara

WASHINGTON Ñ The U.S. Congress has endorsed Morocco's autonomy plan for the disputed Western Sahara.   

Moroccan lobbyists have obtained the support of at least 229 members of the House to Rabat's autonomy plan. They said the House members sent a letter to President Barack Obama that urged his administration to promote autonomy rather than independence for Western Sahara.

"To my knowledge, it is only the first or the second time a Congressional resolution has received a majority of signatures," former U.S. ambassador to Morocco Michael Ussery said.

The April 3 letter, sponsored by Rep. Gary Ackerman and Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, said Rabat's proposal would pave the way for regional cooperation in economy and security amid threats by Al Qaida in North Africa, Middle East Newsline reported. The letter was signed by members of the Democratic and Republican leadership in the House.

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"We remain convinced that the U.S. position, favoring autonomy for Western Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty, is the only feasible solution," the letter, released on April 16, said.

In 2007, Morocco drafted the autonomy plan for Western Sahara in an effort to block the campaign by the Algerian-backed Polisario for independence. In 2008, United Nations envoy Peter van Walsum, who presided over four rounds of negotiations between Rabat and Polisario, determined that independence for Western Sahara was not feasible. The next round of UN mediation talks was expected over the next few weeks.

"Vital U.S. interests in North Africa are increasingly challenged by growing regional instability," the letter said. "Terrorist incidents in the Maghreb have increased by more than 400 percent since September 11, 2001, and the emergence of Al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb has led to a spike in terror attacks against both symbols of national government and institutions reflecting cooperation between the Arab world and the West. The single greatest obstacle impeding the security cooperation necessary to combat this transnational threat is the unresolved territorial dispute over the Western Sahara."

The lobbyists said the Moroccan plan was making headway throughout Congress. In 2007, a similar statement of support for Rabat's autonomy plan garnered 173 members of the House.

"We urge you to both sustain this longstanding policy, and to make clear, in both words and actions, that the United States will work to ensure that the UN process continues to support this framework as the only realistic compromise that can bring this unfortunate and longstanding conflict to an end," the letter to Obama said.

Morocco has sought to enhance strategic cooperation with the United States. In 2008, Rabat launched a $2.4 billion program to procure 24 F-16 Block 52+ multi-role fighters from Lockheed Martin. This would make Morocco the only North African state with the advanced fighter.



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