Polisario leader worried about Morocco-EU ties

(ALGIERS) - The Polisario Front's leader is alarmed that closer EU-Morocco relations pose a danger for the future of Western Sahara and his group's long-running battle for an independent state, APS reported Sunday.

"The Polisario Front is not against the fact the EU has cooperative relations or special ties with Morocco, but we fear Morocco would interpret such relations as encouraging... its colonial efforts," Mohamed Abdelaziz wrote in a letter to President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, the current European Union head.

The EU's "advanced status relations" accorded to Morocco Monday poses "real dangers for the evolution of the question of Western Sahara and for the future and stability of the entire north Africa region," Abdelaziz said in his letter, as quoted by the Algerian press agency.

While it has no extra legal weight, the new relationship places Morocco a notch above the members of the EU's "neighbourhood policy" such as Egypt, Israel, Georgia and Ukraine.

Under the terms of the advanced status, EU-Morocco summits will be held regularly to enhance political ties and Morocco will also participate in European civil and military crisis management operations.

Western Sahara is a former Spanish colony which was annexed in 1975 by Morocco. The Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, wants independence for the territory on the west African coast.