During the seventh regional conference of the Justice and Development Party (PJD) in the Souss-Massa region, the party's Secretary-General, Abdelilah Benkirane, addressed the Polisario issue in part of his speech. Speaking at the event held Saturday in Agadir, Benkirane stated: «I want to open a parenthesis about the Polisario. We have a clear vision when it comes to the Sahara. The leaders of the Polisario studied with Abdellah Baha in the same classroom, including Mustafa Sayyid. They are a group of Moroccans». Benkirane explained that, at the time, «they were aligned with the Marxist movement that wanted to launch a revolution in Morocco. They approached some Moroccan officials to seek support for what they called the 'liberation of the Sahara,' which was rejected. After that, they turned to Gaddafi, who picked them up and handed them over to Algeria». «I want to tell them: we don't see you as mercenaries. You were originally Moroccans who opposed the regime. You weren't the only ones, others like you existed. Yes, you kidnapped people and committed many wrongs against your own people and your country. Yet, the late King Hassan II told you that 'the homeland is forgiving and merciful.' Now, 50 years have passed, and your ideology has led nowhere. It won't lead anywhere, because the truth is not on your side». Benkirane went on to say, «Algeria is using you for its own interests. And I'm talking about the Algerian regime—not the Algerian people. The people don't want you». He then called on the leaders of the Polisario to return to Morocco «before it's too late», adding, «Do not dream of more than autonomy». He also addressed the support of Hezbollah and Iran for the Polisario Front, reaffirming that his party firmly stands with Morocco on this issue. At the same time, he criticized what he described as Iran's ambitions to «dominate the Islamic world», while noting that his party supports Iran in its war against Israel.
