Senegalese President, Abdoulaye Wade, reiterated that the Sahara is a Moroccan province, voicing opposition to the creation of a microstate in the region.
 

The First Deputy Speaker of Catalan Parliament, Mr. Higini Clotas i Cierco said that the initiative proposed by Morocco to grant broad autonomy to the provinces Sahara "is a significant platform for negotiations for the settlement of the conflict around the Sahara.

Moroccan political parties leaders on Thursday made it clear that Morocco's sovereignty over its Southern provinces, the Sahara, is not negotiable, stressing however the North African country's commitment to pursue peace talks with the Polisario in a bid to end the 32-year old dispute over the former Spanish colony.

The Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for the Sahara, Peter Van Walsum, starts a visit to the region from February 6 to February 14, UN spokesman, Michèle Montas said, on Monday.

 UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon said participants in the third round of Manhasset negotiations on the Sahara (January 7-9) concurred on the need for "a more intensive and substantive phase of negotiations."