Western Sahara
UN chief committed to negotiating a solution in Western Sahara conflict
10 June 2013 After meeting with the head of the Frente Polisario, one of the parties in the dispute over the status of Western Sahara, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today reiterated the United Nations’ commitment to a mutually acceptable agreement to resolve the long-running conflict.
“Secretary-General Ban reiterated the commitment of the United Nations to assisting Morocco and the Frente Polisario to negotiate a solution to their long-standing dispute over the future status of Western Sahara in accordance with UN resolutions,” his office said after Mr. Ban met with Mohammed Abdelaziz, Secretary-General of the Frente Polisario.
The UN has been involved in mediation efforts to find a settlement in Western Sahara since 1976, when fighting broke out between Morocco and the movement known as Frente Polisario, after the Spanish colonial administration of the territory ended.
During today’s meeting in New York, Mr. Ban “underlined his continued strong interest in respect for human rights in Western Sahara and in the refugee camps,” according to his office.
The UN chief also expressed his concern over the increasing “frustration and vulnerability” that the absence of a settlement and the instability of the Sahel region have produced among young people in the refugee camps near Tindouf.
Some of the refugees living in the camps have been there for over three decades, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), both active in the camps.
Mr. Ban commended the Frente Polisario’s continuing commitment to the path of dialogue.
He encouraged the Frente Polisario to remain constructively engaged with his Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, Christopher Ross, who has called on both parties to demonstrate flexibility and creativity in working toward a solution.
A UN peacekeeping force, known as the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) has been in place since 1991. The Security Council mandated MINURSO with monitoring the ceasefire in the area and organizing a referendum on self-determination for the people of the territory.
The Mission’s mandate was extended earlier this year to 30 April 2014.
Article source: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=45138&Cr=western+sahara&Cr1=
UN chief committed to negotiating a solution in Western Sahara conflict
10 June 2013 After meeting with the head of the Frente Polisario, one of the parties in the dispute over the status of Western Sahara, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today reiterated the United Nations’ commitment to a mutually acceptable agreement to resolve the long-running conflict.
“Secretary-General Ban reiterated the commitment of the United Nations to assisting Morocco and the Frente Polisario to negotiate a solution to their long-standing dispute over the future status of Western Sahara in accordance with UN resolutions,” his office said after Mr. Ban met with Mohammed Abdelaziz, Secretary-General of the Frente Polisario.
The UN has been involved in mediation efforts to find a settlement in Western Sahara since 1976, when fighting broke out between Morocco and the movement known as Frente Polisario, after the Spanish colonial administration of the territory ended.
During today’s meeting in New York, Mr. Ban “underlined his continued strong interest in respect for human rights in Western Sahara and in the refugee camps,” according to his office.
The UN chief also expressed his concern over the increasing “frustration and vulnerability” that the absence of a settlement and the instability of the Sahel region have produced among young people in the refugee camps near Tindouf.
Some of the refugees living in the camps have been there for over three decades, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), both active in the camps.
Mr. Ban commended the Frente Polisario’s continuing commitment to the path of dialogue.
He encouraged the Frente Polisario to remain constructively engaged with his Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, Christopher Ross, who has called on both parties to demonstrate flexibility and creativity in working toward a solution.
A UN peacekeeping force, known as the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) has been in place since 1991. The Security Council mandated MINURSO with monitoring the ceasefire in the area and organizing a referendum on self-determination for the people of the territory.
The Mission’s mandate was extended earlier this year to 30 April 2014.
Article source: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=45138&Cr=western+sahara&Cr1=
Mandate of UN mission in Western Sahara extended for one more year
25 April 2013 The Security Council today extended for another year the mandate of the United Nations mission tasked with monitoring the ceasefire in Western Sahara and organizing a referendum on self-determination for the people of the territory.
The 15-member Council established the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) in 1991. In a resolution adopted unanimously today, it decided to extend the mission’s mandate until 30 April 2014.
The UN has been involved in efforts to find a settlement in Western Sahara since 1976, when fighting broke out between Morocco and the Frente Polisario after the Spanish colonial administration of the territory ended.
Numerous rounds of UN-backed informal talks, facilitated by Christopher Ross, the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, have taken place in the past few years involving delegations from the parties – Morocco and the Frente Polisario – and the neighbouring countries of Algeria and Mauritania.
In today’s resolution, the Council welcomed the parties’ commitment to continue the process of preparation for a fifth round of negotiations aimed at achieving “a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution.”
It also called on them to continue to “show political will and work in an atmosphere propitious for dialogue” in order to enter into a more intensive and substantive phase of negotiations.
The Council “affirms its strong support for the commitment of the Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy towards a solution to the question of Western Sahara in this context and calls for renewed meetings and strengthening of contacts.”
Article source: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=44753&Cr=western+sahara&Cr1=
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