At a press briefing following the weekly cabinet meeting, Naciri said, answering a question on the next phase of the management of the territorial integrity issue, that this phase is the continuation of the way the issue was handled up till now, adding that the democratic debate uncovers two basic orientations regarding the content and the form.

    "Concerning the content, there is no change at all. We consider that Morocco should ensure the completion of its territorial integrity by recovering a part of its colonized territory, the Moroccan Sahara," he noted.

    Naciri recalled that the Sahara was colonized in 1884 as everybody knows, saying that Morocco went through different stages to regain independence and sovereignty over its territories.

    Morocco is not responsible for the dismemberment of its territories by colonialism in the 19th and 20th centuries, he noted.

    On the form, the Minister went on to say, democratic debate is under way to draw conclusions and lessons because Morocco is a country that believes in debate and exchange of viewpoints and is not afraid to listen to divergent opinions.

    The Kingdom is among civilized and peaceful nations, but being peaceful does not mean lacking means to face up to a conflict that was imposed on it, he underlined.

    "We are conveying a brotherly and respectful message to our neighbors, whether in the north or the east,” he stressed, adding that “Morocco wants to work in a peaceful regional environment which will enable it to lend a helping hand to our Algerian and Spanish neighbors to build together a geopolitical zone where peace, stability, cooperation and brotherhood prevail.