Autonomy proposal, 'very important step'
The Moroccan proposal to grant autonomy to the southern provinces is a "very important step," deemed President of the Municipal Council of Gran Canaria, José Manuel Soria.
In a statement to the press at the end of his meeting, here Friday, with Khalihenna Ould Errachid, President of the Royal Advisory Council for Saharan Affairs(CORCAS), Soria affirmed that the autonomy proposal "will also be beneficial for the Canary Islands," which have "historical bonds" with Morocco.
He noted that the Moroccan proposal is "important" to establish stability in the whole region and consolidate cooperation and investment relations.
Khalihenna Ould Errachid, for his part, thanked the president of the municipal council for his "firm support" to this important project that aims to find a final solution to the Sahara dispute within the framework of an autonomy under the Moroccan sovereignty.
Morocco has recently proposed to grant a large autonomy to its Southern Provinces, known as the Sahara, to settle the three-decade-long dispute with the “Polisario”. The latter, backed by Algeria, has been laying claims to the former Spanish colony that Morocco retrieved in 1975 under the Madrid accords.
CORCAS chairperson also underlined that the Canary Islands constitute a “good place” to conduct negotiations between the Sahrawis, in order to find a final solution to this problem, recalling the historical bonds between the Canary Islands and Morocco.
The CORCAS delegation had also been received by several officials of the Canary Islands Autonomous Government.
