"It has been the policy of the United States to support a resolution of this conflict based on this formula," fifty-four Republican and Democrat Senators wrote in a letter to US State Secretary, Hillary Clinton.
   "We are very concerned about the mounting evidence of growing instability in North Africa. Terrorist activities are increasing and countries in the region are under substantial pressure," the Senators said.
   "The United States in close cooperation with our allies in Europe and the region can help stabilize the situation and reverse these worrisome trends," they explained.
   "A report released on March 31, 2009, by a panel that included former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander General Wesley Clark, and former Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat, argued that the U.S. must work diligently with its friends to resolve the stalemate over the Sahara," the letter went on.
   Recalling recent remarks made by Mrs. Clinton in Morocco last November, the MPs agreed that the proposal introduced by Morocco in 2007 – based on broad autonomy for the Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty – "is serious and credible."
   "It has been the policy of the United States to support a resolution of this conflict based on this formula since the Administration of President Clinton," they said, voicing support to "this bipartisan U.S. policy and the efforts of the United Nations to bring all parties together to resolve this matter peacefully at the negotiating table."
   The senators, led by Senators Diane Feinstein (Dem.) and Kit Bond (Rep.), respectively Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said "the challenges in North Africa for the United States and its allies are clear."
   Our leadership, they added, "can make a significant difference for the better in promoting greater coordination to diminish and eliminate terrorist threats, in encouraging regional integration that will facilitate economic growth and prosperity."
    Resolving the Sahara issue will "remove the major obstacle to stability in the region," they added.