Liberté :Western Sahara- Is there a Third Way ?

It quotes Ahmed Bukhari. "Between the reality on the ground and the speech we listen to our Moroccan  neighbours recently on the construction of the Maghreb, there is a fundamental contradiction that casts doubt on their deep sincerity," said the emissary of the Polisario, which still persists in its strategy of perpetual denial.

 Algeria's L'Expression asks whether  there is  a third way to resolve the conflict  which the paper said "serves neither side." "The opportunity is offered today to open a new page. Unless the positions of each party, which are diametrically opposed, do  not give way to a third way. "Concluded the Algerian daily. The Algerian newspaper observes that, Morocco has changed its strategy by promoting the image of a "democratic Morocco." According to the same publication, "It is this image which is now sold by Rabat in Europe and the United States, particularly in New York, to ignore the holding of a referendum on self-determination of the Saharawi people "adding that" this is the top priority of the Moroccan delegation to the Security Council of the UN which Morocco is a non-permanent member since January last until the end of 2013 ".

Between a press that perpetuates the official line, referring exclusively the policies advocated by the Polisario, and another that tries, at least relatively, to "neutralize" its speech, while maintaining simplistic shortcuts, the Algerian population it will have a hard task, for some time to come, to understand the complexity of such record , the newspaper says.

The deadlock is still there, the Polisario insists on a call for a referendum on independence through the UN  and Morocco has its autonomy proposal which has been widely accepted  by leading figures as a basis for a solution to the Western Sahara conflict in the USA and many countries in Europe. There is also widespread appreciation of Morocco's democratic reforms and its policy of regionalisation.

In an article for the Carnegie Endowment Foundation Anouar Boukhars highlights the problems of  narcotics and weapons smuggling, kidnapping , terrorism and criminal acts which are destabalising the region along with the conflict in Northern Mali. The potential for further destabalistaion is real he points out. The camps in Tindouf have already been drawn into one kidnapping incident. Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb(AQIM) is participating in these activities and taking advantage of the situation whenever it can. The danger of AQMI recruiting disenchanted youth in the Tindouf camps is real. He also ponts to the deep frustration and confrontations between some of the Saharawi population and the Moroccan authorities in Moroccan Western Sahara and conflicts in Laayoune and other cities.  There is a growing pressure to resolve the situation.

 The author writes that if only Algeria and Morocco could see past their traditional distrust and hostility they could avert a slide into regional chaos. The stakes are very high. The Polisario want independence, Morocco has its autonomy proposal. The author concludes that Morocco's proposal for autonomy and its July 2011 constitution are the first steps towards a solution. Morocco's friends in the West, he says must pressure Morocco to expedite  significant autonomy measures to avert growing instability in the region as a whole.