The President of the Chilean Senate, Mr. Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle, said that the Moroccan autonomy initiative in the southern provinces "is very objective for a way-out to the Sahara issue".

The French president Nicolas Sarkozy reaffirmed on Monday to the Algerian president Abdelaziz bouteflika, the French position concerning the Sahara , pointed out a diplomatic French source. During the talks between the two heads of states which took place during the first day of the state visit of president Sarkozy, the same diplomatic source specified that the question of Sahara was mentioned, and that the position of France has not changed.

Morocco's Project to grant substantial autonomy to its southern provinces, the Sahara, is "an important step forward" to settle the Sahara dispute, said, here Friday, Chilean vice Foreign minister, Alberto Van Klaveren.