The Spanish government of José Luis Zapatero has encouraged Morocco in its rejection of a referendum on autonomy in the Western Sahara region, according to the head of the opposition Polisario movement, Mohamed Abdelaziz, who is pushing for independence. Abdelaziz's comments were printed all over North Africa following an interview in the French daily, Liberté.
The Sahara situation is a major international conflict that has at times even lead to threats of war between Morocco and Algeria. The EU is treading a careful path, not wanting to lose its influence in Morocco and also implementing its policy of human rights protection for the people of Western Sahara.
