A number of US congressmen have called on the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, to encourage the current political negotiating process on the Sahara, taking into consideration the Moroccan autonomy initiative "as the foundation for any solution."

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé described Morocco's autonomy plan as "a serious and credible negotiation basis for achieving a lasting settlement of the Sahara issue."

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, on Wednesday in Washington, that Morocco's plan to grant broad autonomy to its southern provinces, the Sahara, is a "serious, realistic and credible" proposal.

Colombian Foreign Minister reaffirmed that his country maintains since 2001 its freezing of the recognition of the so-called SADR.

The International Action for peace and development in the Great Lakes region (AIPD) denounced human rights violations in the Tindouf camps (Algeria's south-west) and called on the African community to exert pressure towards ensuring "freedom of speech and movement for the Tindouf population."