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.

The personal Envoy of the United nations Secretary General for the Sahara, peter Van Walsum who is currently visiting the Maghreb region (Feb.6-14), should convince the Polisario leaders and their Algerian backers to give up n their "blockade attitude," Director of the Paris-based Observatory of geopolitical studies (OEG) affirmed on Monday. Mr.Peter Van Walsum should convince the other parties involved [in the Sahara issue] – Algerian and Polisario leaders- to abandon the "blockade attitude" and show wisdom to go forth in the process of negotiations," Charles Saint Prot said in an interview with MAP

The Arab Parties’ Congress called Saturday in Rabat, for the speeding up of the settlement of the Sahara issue, in order to serve the supreme interests of the Maghreb region peoples and protect the region against fragmentation risks and disintegration. 
In their final communiqué, at the end of that session, held under the theme "Advocating for Gaza", the participants in the 45th session of the Congress stressed that Morocco was fully entitled to the recovery of its two cities Sebta and Mellilia and its occupied islands.