SAHARA PRESS SERVICE

Chahid El Hafed, 10/07/04 (SPS) The Minister for Information, Sid Ahmed Batal, declared to SPS on Saturday that "his Government is satisfied with American support to the peace plan for the self-determination to Saharawi people", asserting that American position is "a new defeat" to Morocco, which tries with all means to distort the nature of the conflict "that remains a decolonisation problem ».

In reaction to American State department spokesman, Richard Boucher’s last statement declared Friday, Mr. Batal asserted that "Saharawi Government is satisfied with American support to the peace plan for the self-determination to Saharawi people, and would like by the same occasion to hail American commitment to the settlement of the conflict within the framework of the UN ».

"This position proved again to Moroccan Government that international legality remains the only framework in which Western Sahara's conflict can be resolved, and constitutes a new defeat to Morocco, which tries since the beginning to avoid international agreement and to distort the nature of the conflict that remains a decolonisation problem", he underlined.

On another hand, the minister insisted in "hailing all American personalities and NGOs that were present again in the defence of our people's legitimate rights and who spoke in favour of our case by all means", referring to the letters and appeals addressed by American NGOs and Congressmen to President Bush, in which they condemned Moroccan intransigence and illegal occupation of Western Sahara, calling their country to support Saharawi people's right to independence.

It should be recalled that American State department’s spokesman, Richard Boucher, has declared yesterday in his daily briefing that his Government maintains its "commitment to work with the United Nations and with the parties to the conflict: Morocco, Algeria, the Polisario Front and Mauritania, along the lines of the peace plan that was put forward by James Baker". (SPS)

060/090/100 102043 July 04 SPS

SPS
SADR/USA/MOROCCO
USA see the solution to the Saharawi conflict "along the lines of Baker's Plan ", declares Richard Boucher

Washington D.C. 10/07/04 (SPS) the Spokesman of American State department, Richard Boucher, declared Friday that his country exhorted the King of Morocco, who is in a visit to Washington, to the settlement of the conflict opposing Morocco to Polisario Front "along the lines of the peace plan that was put forward by James Baker", affirming that his department recent statement on the visit, "did not go into everything that was discussed " about the problem in western Sahara.

Answering if President Bush did or did not exhort the King of Morocco to resolve the Saharawi problem within the framework of the UN, Richard Boucher declared in his daily briefing to the press that the question "was discussed yesterday (Thursday) at the meetings ", held between President Bush and his Moroccan counterpart, Mohamed VI. He further added that the previous statement of the White House "did not go into everything that was discussed ".

Bush's Government, through its Secretary of State for Foreign affairs, Colin Powell, "expressed a commitment to work with the United Nations and with the parties to the conflict: Morocco, Algeria, the Polisario Front and Mauritania, along the lines of the peace plan that was put forward by James Baker", emphasised Boucher.

"The two leaders agreed on the need to resolve the Western Sahara problem as soon as possible", had declared the White House Thursday without more details, what was misinterpreted by Moroccan Medias in their traditional attempts to misinform. (SPS)

060/090/000 101328 July 04 SPS