sahara

As the conflict over the future of Western Sahara nears its fortieth year, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is calling on all concerned, within the region and the wider international community, to take advantage of the “intensified efforts” of his Personal Envoy to facilitate the launching of true negotiations in the coming months.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced today the appointment of Major General Muhammad Tayyab Azam of Pakistan as the Force Commander of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).

The United Nations refugee agency announced today that the family visit flights between Sahrawi refugees living in camps near Tindouf, Algeria, and their families in the territory of Western Sahara are set to resume next month.

In a phone call with King Mohammed VI of Morocco this past weekend, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reiterated the commitment of the United Nations to the negotiation process aimed at reaching a settlement in the Western Sahara dispute.

A new round of informal talks between the parties to the conflict over Western Sahara will take place in New York next week at the invitation of the United Nations envoy, according to a UN spokesperson.

The Security Council today extended until 30 April 2009 the mandate of the United Nations mission in Western Sahara (MINURSO), tasked with monitoring the ceasefire between Morocco and the Frente Polisario and organizing a referendum on self-determination.

Consolidating the status quo is not an acceptable outcome to the current process of negotiations over Western Sahara, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says in his latest report on the long-running dispute between Morocco and the Frente Polisario.

The fourth and latest round of United Nations-led talks, bringing together representatives from Morocco and the Frente Polisario, wrapped up today on the outskirts of New York City, with both sides once again pledging to continue negotiations.

The fourth round of talks on Western Sahara, bringing together representatives from Morocco and the Frente Polisario under United Nations auspices, got under way today on the outskirts of New York City, according to a UN spokesperson.

Starting this Sunday, the United Nations will lead a fourth round of talks on Western Sahara, bringing together representatives from Morocco and the Frente Polisario on the outskirts of New York City, a UN spokesperson said today.