A number of Austrian officials voiced interest in the autonomy project proposed by Morocco for its Southern Provinces, the Sahara, and asserted that they follow the positive developments in these provinces.

Photo: Headquarters of the Austrian Parliament

The Royal Advisory Council for Saharan Affairs continued and ended late in the evening of Thursday to Friday, the works of its first regular session for 2009.

The Royal Advisory Council for Saharan Affairs began Thursday, the works of its first regular session for 2009.

Regional integration in the Maghreb cannot be achieved without finding a solution to the Sahara issue that takes into account the Moroccan proposal to grant broad autonomy to the region, a report by the "Potomac Institute" said Tuesday.

Participants at a conference Monday in Brussels, called the European Union to support the Moroccan autonomy initiative as "the only realistic and feasible" solution to the Sahara issue.