Rice holds terror talks

2008-09-07 21:10

Rabat - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice held talks in Morocco on Sunday on issues including terrorism as part of a tour of North Africa, where an al-Qaeda-linked group has claimed attacks.

On the last leg of the tour that included a landmark meeting with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Rice saw her Moroccan counterpart Taieb Fassi-Fihri and spoke of co-operation in fighting extremists afterward.

"It is quite clear that there are problems of terrorism and need for counter-terrorism co-operation among the partners here, among the states here, and we, the US," Rice told reporters after the meeting.

Besides terrorism, Washington's top diplomat addressed the conflict involving Western Sahara, where the Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, has been seeking independence.

Rabat has objected to independence and has proposed autonomy for the territory on the North West African coast.

Before the visit, Morocco had expressed hope Rice could help break the impasse over Western Sahara.

"We are looking for a mutually agreed solution to this problem," she said during a news conference with Fassi-Fihri. "It is time that it should be resolved."

Morocco and Polisario have been engaged in UN-sponsored negotiations over the former Spanish colony's future since June last year.

A new round of talks is to be held on the issue, though a date has not been set.

"We are going to support that round, that mediation," said Rice. "There are good ideas on the table. There are ways to move forward. We don't have to start over."

- AFP