UN Secretary-General recommends extended MINURSO mandate

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has recommended a one-month extension of the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) to 30 April. MINURSO’s mandate includes monitoring a ceasefire and identifying and registering qualified voters for a referendum that will decide whether Western Sahara should gain full independence or become part of Morocco. In his latest report on the former Spanish colony, the Secretary-General said Morocco had indicated its acceptance, in principle, of a UN-proposed package designed to accelerate the referendum process. This was on the understanding that certain amendments would be incorporated in protocols related to voter identification and appeals, and that the UN Mission would provide the parties with operational directives and a revised timetable. Morocco asked that the modalities for organizing the identification and appeals be consistent with the objective of holding the referendum by March 2000. According to the report, the UN Mission expects to provide the parties with revised texts at the end of March. The UN Secretary-General has designated Robin Kinloch, chairman of the Identification Commission, as Acting Special Representative in Western Sahara. The former head of the UN Mission, Charles F. Dunbar, announced that he would resign when his contract expired at the end of March.