Austria Reiterates Support to Autonomy Plan, ‘Very Serious, Credible’ Contribution to Settle Sahara Issue

Austria reiterated, on Friday in New York, its support to the autonomy plan presented by Morocco, deeming it a “very serious and credible” contribution for a definitive solution to the artificial conflict around the Moroccan Sahara. The autonomy initiative, presented by Morocco in 2007, is a “very serious and very credible plan, and constitutes a key contribution” to bringing the UN-led process towards a definitive solution to the Sahara issue to a successful conclusion, Austria’s Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg told the press.  Speaking after a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, held on the sidelines of the 79th UN General Assembly, the Head of Austrian diplomacy also welcomed the “excellent” relations between the two countries. “We have a long diplomatic history of very fruitful relations between Austria and Morocco”, covering a plethora of fields, mainly economic and political, he said. In this respect, Schallenberg expressed his country’s will to further deepen these ties. Welcoming the signing – during this meeting – of a bilateral agreement on the transfer of sentenced persons, Schallenberg stated that this mechanism reflects “the partnership and friendship that binds our two countries.”