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English Subtitles by JARMOUNE YASSINE
M. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART de la Floride.
I ask unanimous consent to speak for five minutes out of work.
- Without objection - Thank you very much
Mr. Speaker, in recent weeks,
we have seen the issue of the Western Sahara receive a great deal of coverage in the world press.
Unfortunately, the press coverage has often been biased;
in fact, I've seen cynical attempts at purposeful disinformation.
I think it's important that we remember history.
Let's not forget that while the Sahara was under Spanish colonial rule,
only Morocco laid claim to that territory as its own.
The Kingdom of Morocco repeatedly claimed the Western Sahara and demanded the end of Spanish colonial rule.
It was only when Morocco's efforts at recovering the Sahara from Spanish colonialism under the leadership of King Hassan II
began to be seen as making serious progress in the 1970s
that the so-called Polisario Front came into being.
Then, as now, the so-called Polisario group is financed by Algeria
and is propped up by Castro's Communist dictatorship in Cuba.
Why is it important to understand this?
Because in Morocco, our ally in North Africa in the struggle against international terrorism,
the issue of the Sahara is the decisive issue.
The reality of Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara enjoys the support of the entire population of Morocco,
including the Sahara itself.
In other words, the issue of the Sahara is the sine qua non,
the necessary ingredient for stability and peace in that country of strategic importance in North Africa,
our friend and ally, Morocco.
King Mohammed VI and his negotiating team have demonstrated great courage and patience
in dealing with this critical issue so closely tied to the security of the entire region.
Let us never forget that a make-believe, an illusory, a fake microstate in Northern Africa
would be led by a Castro-Cuban-formed political class which would constitute a minority of the population even within the fake microstate,
but would control it through Castro-style repression.
Let us never forget that such a microstate would serve as a focal point of regional instability and destabilization,
as well as an exporter of terrorism.
For over a decade, Mr. Speaker,
Morocco has agreed to grant a genuine and profound autonomy to the Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty
in order to reach a realistic and definitive solution to this problem,
but Algeria and the so-called Polisario continue to insist on the creation of a fake microstate.
Majorities in this Congress comprising both Republicans and Democrats
have spoken clearly in support of our ally Morocco's position on this critical issue
in letters we have sent, first to President Bush, and then to President Obama.
The United States, during both administrations
and with the strong leadership of Secretary of State Rice and Secretary of State Clinton,
has agreed with the position expressed by the overwhelming majority of this Congress.
The future of America's struggle against international terrorism and the stability of Northern Africa
require that the Government and the Congress of the United States
continue to stand firmly and clearly with
our friend and ally, the Kingdom of Morocco.