The Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani held a press briefing, Thursday, during which he addressed the Western Sahara issue. He stressed that the position of his government on the issue «has not changed and will not change, because it is based on the principles of the country's foreign policy, regardless of the leader or the development of the dossier», local media reported. While recalling that Nouakchott recognized «SADR» in 1984, he defended the «positive neutrality» observed by Mauritania regarding the dispute. The president also insisted that the issue is a «complicated» one. For the record, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Ould Cheikh had reiterated, on November 7 in a press release, the «neutrality» of his country on this question. «We are active and concerned» about this conflict «but we do not support any party. We are not spectators and we want this conflict to be resolved as soon as possible. It is time to find a just and lasting solution accepted by all the parties involved», he said. Ould Ghazouani received an envoy from Brahim Ghali on November 22. On February 19, he also held talks with the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita.
