US Reaffirms Its Unchanged Position, Reiterates Support For Morocco's Autonomy Plan On Sahara

Rabat, December 18 (TNA) There is "no change in the clear and consistent U.S. position" regarding the Moroccan Sahara issue, the U.S. State Department said on Sunday, while reiterating Washington's support for Morocco's autonomy plan viewed as "serious, credible, and realistic."

In a statement published on the eve of the visit to Morocco of U.S. Assistant Secretary for North Africa Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Joshua Harris (Dec. 17-18), the State Department stressed that during his talks in Rabat, the U.S. official will reiterate that "there is no change in the clear and consistent U.S. position."

This new reaffirmation of the consistency of Washington's position provides a scathing denial of the fallacious allegations conveyed by some Algerian media outlets which have insinuated, following the recent visit to Algiers made by the U.S. official, an alleged change in the U.S. position on the Sahara issue. "The United States fully supports UN Personal Envoy de Mistura in facilitating the negotiations process to achieve a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable solution for the Sahara," the statement pointed out.

After recalling that the United States "believes a negotiated political solution should be realized without further delay," the same source underlines that "the outcome of UN-led negotiations - mutually agreed to by the parties and reflecting their commitment to UN efforts in a spirit of realism and compromise - would constitute the final resolution to this issue."

"In this regard, the United States continues to view Morocco's Autonomy Proposal as serious, credible, and realistic," it says. The visit to Rabat of Deputy Assistant Secretary Joshua Harris will also focus on the means to further strengthen the U.S.-Morocco partnership in addition to a range of regional security priorities, the statement stressed.