Moroccan king visits W Sahara

[XXPANTHAXX]

Monday 20 March 2006, 22:18 Makka Time, 19:18 GMT

Hundreds took to the streets in Laayoune to greet Morocco's king

Morocco's King Mohammed VI started a five-day trip to Western Sahara on
Monday, as Moroccan diplomats worked on a plan that would offer the
disputed territory some autonomy.

The king started his trip in Laayoune, one of the region's biggest
cities. It was his fourth visit to Western Sahara, and the first since
2002. No other details of the trip were released.

On his last visit, the king gave a speech in which he said Morocco would
not budge from the Western Sahara, which he called an "inalienable and
indivisible" part of Morocco.

Morocco annexed the territory, the former Spanish Sahara, in 1975.
Rebels from the Polisario Front then waged a desert war to gain
independence.

The fighting ended in 1991 with a UN-negotiated cease-fire that called
for a referendum on the region's future. The referendum has never been
held, in large part because Morocco and the Polisario failed to agree on
who could be counted as voters.

Moroccan diplomats have said they will present a plan to the United
Nations next month that would allow the inhabitants, known as Sahrawis,
to run their own affairs while remaining under Moroccan rule. The rebels
have rejected the idea, saying a referendum must be held first.

[Dino]

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