Polisario Rebels to Send Envoys to Meet Hassan

The Marxist-led Polisario Front, which has been fighting Morocco for Western Sahara’s independence since 1975, announced Saturday that it is sending a top-level delegation to meet for the first time with Morocco’s King Hassan II.

The statement issued here by the front said the initiative follows a declaration by the Moroccan monarch to the press that he is ready to meet Polisario officials.

It also called Hassan’s statement “a constructive position taken in response to repeated calls by the Polisario for dialogue.” No details were provided, however. Moroccan officials had no comment.

In an interview with the French magazine Le Point earlier this month, the Moroccan monarch indicated he had modified his position and would meet with the guerrillas.

“The doors of my palace are open. I am ready to hear everyone, to listen to their problems and know what they want for this part of the territory,” he said.

The talks would be the first direct contacts since the guerrillas began fighting for independence for the Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony annexed by Morocco in 1975.

The Polisario statement said the group would cooperate fully with the United Nations, which has been seeking a peaceful solution to the conflict.

In August, both sides accepted in principle a U.N.-sponsored peace plan. But Hassan’s refusal up to now to meet with the guerrillas had been a stumbling block.