[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 38 (Thursday, March 8, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E354]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SUPPORTING RENEWED NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN MOROCCO AND THE POLISARIO FRONT

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER S. MURPHY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 8, 2012

  Mr. MURPHY of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support the 
renewal of negotiations between the government of Morocco and the 
Polisario Front.
  The Western Sahara region has been disputed territory since the 
Spanish withdrew in 1975. It is claimed by Morocco and the Polisario 
Front, which seeks independence for the Western Sahara.
  Morocco and the Polisario began direct negotiations in 2007, under 
the auspices of the United Nations. The next round of negotiations 
begins on Monday, and I hope that a solution will finally be agreed to 
during the new talks in Manhasset, NY. The people who live in the 
Western Sahara have suffered as a result of the region's status being 
in limbo, and they deserve for this longstanding dispute to be 
resolved.
  Morocco has a compromise proposal on the table: democratic autonomy 
for the region under Moroccan sovereignty. I believe this is a 
reasonable offer and can serve as a basis for negotiations. 
Undersecretary of State William Burns previously described the Moroccan 
initiative as a ``serious and credible proposal to provide real 
autonomy for the Western Sahara.'' It is also important for the 
region's residents to be able to express their views on their future, 
and for negotiators to take those views into account.
  Mr. Speaker, after more than 35 years, it is time for all parties to 
negotiate in good faith to finally bring this crisis to a close. We are 
witnessing monumental changes in North Africa following revolutions in 
Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya. It is in the interest of the United States 
and the parties involved to achieve a peaceful, negotiated solution to 
the Western Sahara issue, and more broadly to encourage Morocco to 
fully implement King Mohammed's proposed constitutional reforms and 
continue moving toward a more balanced governmental system that serves 
the many needs of all citizens of Morocco.

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