UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on Monday appointed US diplomat William Lacy Swing as his Special Representative for Western Sahara. Swing will take up his post in December. His main task will be to broker a solution to the 26-year-old dispute between Morocco and the Polisario Front.
The Polisario Front wants independence for the northwestern African territory, which Morocco annexed after the former colonial power, Spain, pulled out in 1975.
Under UN mediation, Morocco and the Polisario had agreed to a referendum that would allow the Sahrawi to choose between independence and Moroccan rule, but differences over who is eligible to vote have stalled the process for years.
Several UN plans have been proposed over the years but none have been accepted by both sides. The latest proposal, made in August, would allow the Sahrawi a certain measure of autonomy, but defence, foreign affairs and currency would remain under Moroccan control. It has been rejected by the Polisario.
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