UNITED NATIONS - US President George W. Bush told Morocco's King Mohammed VI Tuesday that Washington will not "impose a settlement" of the disputed Western Sahara region on Rabat, a senior US official said.
During a private half-hour meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Bush assured the king he knew "how sensitive this issue is in Morocco," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity.
Bush said "that the UN and the US would not impose a settlement on Morocco" but urged the monarch to "address this constructively and see if a solution acceptable to Morocco can be found," the official said.
Bush also praised the king of launching economic reforms, holding recent local elections, and "said were determined to do all we can to help Morocco," said the official.
Morocco has forcefully objected to a UN Security Council resolution, passed in July, that backed latest plan crafted by former US secretary of state James Baker leading to self-determination for Western Sahara.
Under the resolution, Western Sahara would have a large degree of autonomy during a five-year transition period, followed by a referendum to decide on the territory's sovereignty.
Rabat has rejected the Baker plan, saying its implementation would pose "major risks" for security and stability in the region.
In the meeting here, Bush thanked the king for his "positive attitude" towards rebuilding Iraq, especially his support for seating the US-backed governing council at a recent Arab League summit in Cairo.
And he also commended Rabat for helping Washington push along the stalled Middle East peace process.
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