Algeria 'destabilized' by Morocco's autonomy proposal, former polisario leader

    "Since the announcement of Morocco's proposal to grant broad autonomy to the southern provinces was made, Algeria became destabilized and forced to fight in order to maintain its hegemony over the Saharan population in the Tindouf camps and continue its manipulation and instrumentalization to hamper the process of development undertaken by Morocco", Ould Souilem said, on Thursday in Brussels, in a meeting with Belgian MP Alain Hutchinson.

    The "perceptive and courageous" approach of HM King Mohammed VI to grant a substantive autonomy to the southern provinces prompted the return of several members of this phoney entity, he affirmed.

    The polisario does not exist anymore. We are talking now about an Algerian polisario, he said, underlining that this entity is manipulated and instrumentalized by Algeria which takes no interest in settling the artificial conflict over the Sahara.    

    Aware of this situation, many members of the polisario came back to Morocco and are still doing so whenever they are given the chance, he said, noting that a majority of them is held against its will for political, economic and social reasons.

    In this regard, he stressed the atrocities the population held captive in the camps of Tindouf has to suffer, mainly the killings and children deportation.

    Ould Souilem affirmed that the Sahara population lauds and fully adheres to the autonomy initiative which enables the Saharans to directly run their own affairs.

    The international community should support this perceptive approach, he said, describing as "obsolete" the solution proposed by the other parties.

    The autonomy initiative must be given priority since all other attempts were doomed to failure, notably the war option, he said, stressing that this solution gives a way out for all the parties, it is a "no winner, no vanquished solution".
                
    He called upon the international community to seize this occasion to pressure Algeria and the polisario into accepting this logical solution.

    The Moroccan initiative will inevitably contribute to stabilizing the region which is turning into a hotbed for terrorism, drug and human trafficking and illegal immigration, he added.

    Ould Souilem and a delegation of Saharan MPs and officials are paying a visit to Brussels (February 2-5).