Morocco will not relinquish territory, King says

King Mohammed VI of Morocco ended on Wednesday ended a two-day visit to Western Sahara by declaring that his country will not give up any part of the disputed territory. "Morocco will not relinquish a single inch of the territory", Mohammed VI said in a speech in Layoune, the capital of Western Sahara. Any attempts to separate the territory from the rest of Morocco, he added, would threaten the kingdom's "territorial integrity and sovereignty" and destabilise the region. He announced the creation of a development agency for the area. The dispute between Morocco and the Popular Front of the Liberation of Sagui el-Hamra and Rio de Oro (Polisario Front), over the territory started in 1975 when Morocco annexed it, after the colonial power, Spain pulled out. But the armed Polisario Front declared that the area, over 260,000 sq.km, was not part of Morocco and started fighting for its independence. The OAU recognised its independence forcing Morocco to pull out of the continental body. The war officially ended in 1991. That same year, the UN deployed a mission to maintain peace and organise a referendum on the region's status. The referendum has since failed to take place for several reasons, including disagreements on who would be eligible to vote. The UN Security Council is examining various options to resolve the dispute, which were proposed in February by the Secretary General Kofi Annan.