The Taoiseach has pledged Irish support at the United Nations Security Council to resolve the dispute in the Western Sahara by peaceful means. He was speaking after he arrived in Morocco on the first official visit there by the head of an Irish government.
Ireland's two-year term on the Security Council began last week. The Taoiseach was briefed on the Moroccan view of the dispute in a meeting with the country's Prime Minister, Mr Youssoufi, at his offices in Rabat yesterday.
The desert region was a Spanish possession until 1976, but Moroccan claims to sovereignty over the territory were challenged by the Polisario Front, a Saharan nationalist movement, which sought to establish the independent nation of Western Sahara. A violent conflict ensued.
Although the UN favours a referendum to decide the sovereignty issue, this has been delayed by a long-standing dispute over voter identification, namely, who has the right to take part in the poll? A UN peacekeeping force to implement the referendum plan was established in 1991. A ceasefire has been in force since then but is considered to be in jeopardy.
The Taoiseach said after the meeting that the Prime Minister had explained his government's policy and stressed that Morocco was anxious to find a resolution to the problem. Mr Youssoufi had said he was prepared in co-operation with the UN to examine various means to bring the conflict to a peaceful conclusion.
The Irish delegation told the Prime Minister that the Government remained confident it would prove possible to resolve the conflict. "Our preference was for the UN referendum," Mr Ahern said.
After a meeting in Berlin last September arranged by the UN Secretary-General's personal envoy to Western Sahara, Mr James Baker, Mr Youssoufi had said he would enter dialogue with the Polisario Front, an organisation that has received Algerian and Libyan support.
Although the gesture was greeted with scepticism in some quarters, Mr Ahern said it was "a big move". Mr Youssoufi had told him he would work towards a resolution that would take account of the aspirations of both sides and allow the people of the region to manage their own affairs subject to overall Moroccan sovereignty.
Morocco would be explaining its approach in a submission to the UN in February and Mr Ahern said it would also be coming up in March at the Security Council. Asked what Ireland's attitude would be to the Moroccan plan, Mr Ahern said the Government would have to await the provision of further detail next month.
Speaking at an official dinner hosted by Mr Youssoufi last night, Mr Ahern said his visit came at a time when both countries had "every reason to look for opportunities in our relationship" and when the EU had embarked on a challenging new association agreement with Morocco.
"Morocco is moving into a new phase. Reforms on the economy and in social structures, in human rights, in education, are being implemented. We applaud these changes. The EU has pledged to work in close partnership with you to help wherever possible in advancing them.
"I know that you face great challenges in enlarging employment opportunities for the Moroccan people and combating high levels of poverty. We in Ireland have also had to surmount many of these problems. Today our economy is among the most buoyant in Europe."
He was sure lessons could be drawn from this experience that would be helpful to Morocco.