US endorses Morocco's plan on Sahara

US President Barack Obama has extended support to Morocco's autonomy plan for the Sahara in line with the policy adopted by the last three US administrations.

This "explicit support" is a recognition by Washington of Morocco's King Mohammed VI's regional leadership and stabilising force in Africa, according to Peter Pham, director of the Africa Centre at the Atlantic Council.

It is also a recognition, at its real value, of the constructive role played by Morocco in order to reach a final solution to this "artificial conflict", Pham told Maghreb Arab Press (MAP).

The Sahara conflict broke out after the self-proclamation of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic by the Polisario Front of the Sahrawi people in 1976.

The expert on African affairs also noted that this support went beyond the Sahara issue to include a strong partnership between Washington and Rabat in order to establish a triangular cooperation in Africa, mainly in the sectors of security and development.