Changes

==Government and Political Conditions==

==Government and Political Conditions==

Morocco is divided into 16 administrative regions (further broken into provinces and prefectures); the regions are administered by Walis (governors) appointed by the King.  

Morocco is divided into 16 administrative regions (further broken into provinces and prefectures); the regions are administered by Walis (governors) appointed by the King.  

The Western Sahara dispute remains the primary impediment to regional integration and development goals. The parties were able to set aside some of their differences when, in August 2004, U.S. Senator Richard Lugar led a mission to the region that resulted in the release of 404 Moroccan prisoners of war who had long been held by the Polisario. Today, approximately 90,000 Sahrawi refugees live in camps around Tindouf, Algeria. The exact number of refugees living in these camps is not known since there has never been a reliable census of the population. Several thousand Sahrawis also live in the Moroccan-controlled area of Western Sahara among a large number of Moroccan settlers. Morocco considers the Western Sahara part of its national territory, while Polisario insists on the right of the people of the Western Sahara to self-determination. Algeria supports self-determination of the Sahrawis. The issue remains a major stumbling block to Moroccan-Algerian relations and regional integration.  

The Western Sahara dispute remains the primary impediment to regional integration and development goals. The parties were able to set aside some of their differences when, in August 2004, U.S. Senator Richard Lugar led a mission to the region that resulted in the release of 404 Moroccan prisoners of war who had long been held by the Polisario. Today, approximately 90,000 Sahrawi refugees live in camps around Tindouf, Algeria. The exact number of refugees living in these camps is not known since there has never been a reliable census of the population. Several thousand Sahrawis also live in the Moroccan-controlled area of Western Sahara among a large number of Moroccan settlers. Morocco considers the Western Sahara part of its national territory, while Polisario insists on the right of the people of the Western Sahara to self-determination. Algeria supports self-determination of the Sahrawis. The issue remains a major stumbling block to Moroccan-Algerian relations and regional integration.  

The United States has consistently encouraged the parties to work with the United Nations, and with each other, in a spirit of flexibility and compromise, to find a mutually acceptable settlement. In this regard, the U.S. has welcomed Morocco's recent introduction of an autonomy initiative, is encouraged that it has spurred discussion, and believes that it has created an opportunity for Morocco and the Polisario to come to an agreement on this long-simmering problem. The United Nations Security Council resolution, which provides MINURSO its mandate, has been renewed for six-month intervals since its inception and is expected to be approved for a subsequent extension in October 2007. The U.S. has raised with the UN our support for direct negotiations without preconditions, as called for in the resolution, and in June and August 2007 the Moroccans and the Polisario, with Algeria and Mauritania participating as interested neighbor states, met for two rounds of talks in Manhasset, New York, mediated by Peter van Walsum. A third round of negotiations is tentatively planned for November 2007 in Switzerland.  

The United States has consistently encouraged the parties to work with the United Nations, and with each other, in a spirit of flexibility and compromise, to find a mutually acceptable settlement. In this regard, the U.S. has welcomed Morocco's recent introduction of an autonomy initiative, is encouraged that it has spurred discussion, and believes that it has created an opportunity for Morocco and the Polisario to come to an agreement on this long-simmering problem. The United Nations Security Council resolution, which provides MINURSO its mandate, has been renewed for six-month intervals since its inception and is expected to be approved for a subsequent extension in October 2007. The U.S. has raised with the UN our support for direct negotiations without preconditions, as called for in the resolution, and in June and August 2007 the Moroccans and the Polisario, with Algeria and Mauritania participating as interested neighbor states, met for two rounds of talks in Manhasset, New York, mediated by Peter van Walsum. A third round of negotiations is tentatively planned for November 2007 in Switzerland.

==Economy==

==Economy==