The autonomous status for the Sahara is a high level political response to break the Sahara deadlock because  of Algeria, underlined Friday in Perpignan (southern France) Several French experts, scholars and jurists.  Autonomy project in the Sahara is absolutely perfect in terms of legal and constitutional aspects and is a proper initiative that can promote Maghreb integration and the socio-economic development of its people and countries, said these experts and academicians in statements to MAP following an international meeting on "Regional Autonomy Statute in comparative law." 

Senegalese President, Abdoulaye Wade, reiterated that the Sahara is a Moroccan province, voicing opposition to the creation of a microstate in the region.

United Nations Secretary General's Personal Envoy for the Sahara Peter Van Walsum said, here Thursday, that he was "not satisfied with the state of negotiations" on the Sahara dispute opposing Morocco to the Algerian-backed separatist movement "Polisario".     The UN envoy made the statement following a meeting with Mauritanian President Sidi Mohamed ould Cheikh  Abdallahi, part of a tour in the region prior to the fourth round of negotiations between the two parties in Manhasset, New York March 11-13.

 Polisario should accept any serious proposal of Morocco to resolve the 32-year-old Sahara dispute, said the British expert Hugh Roberts, noting that this dispute is not a question of decolonization, but rather one of sovereignty. Polisario should accept any serious proposal submitted by Morocco to settle this conflict that has lasted for too long, Mr. Roberts said during a conference held on Tuesday at the headquarters of the Barcelona-based European Institute of the Mediterranean, over the Sahara issue and its implications on development in the Maghreb region (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania). 

The First Deputy Speaker of Catalan Parliament, Mr. Higini Clotas i Cierco said that the initiative proposed by Morocco to grant broad autonomy to the provinces Sahara "is a significant platform for negotiations for the settlement of the conflict around the Sahara.