Morocco which considers Algeria as a party to the Sahara conflict, deems that a "direct dialogue" with this country, is a prerequisite to settle this 32-year old dispute with the Algerian-backed separatist movement "Polisario", Minister of Interior, Chakib Benmoussa, said on Thursday at the weekly cabinet meeting.

The Sahara issue, opposing Morocco to the Algerian-backed Polisario separatists is "the main obstacle" to development in the Maghreb region (a regional grouping also including Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya), President of the Mauritanian Party for Union and Change (PMUC) said on Wednesday.

Morocco remains committed to the UN-led negotiations on the Sahara dispute (opposing the North African country and the Algerian-backed separatist movement "Polisario"), reiterated, here Tuesday, the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, making it clear however that these negotiations should be based on the autonomy and "nothing but autonomy".

Morocco remains committed to the negotiations process underway with the Algerian-backed separatist movement Polisario, but remains fully intransigent over its territorial integrity, members of the Moroccan delegation to the UN-facilitated negotiations on the Sahara said here late at night.

Morocco on Monday made it clear that the 32-year old Sahara dispute with the Polisario separatist movement will not be resolved without Algeria's "active involvement" in the UN-led peace process.