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UN Secretary-General seeks extension of UN office's mandate

    ABIDJAN

    UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has asked the Security Council to extend the mandate of the UN Office in Western Sahara by two months to allow further discussions on solutions to a 26-year-old dispute between Morocco and the Polisario Front. If approved, the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) will continue until 31 January 2002.

    MINURSO was established in April 1991. One of its roles is to maintain peace between Morocco, which annexed Western Sahara after Spain pulled out in 1975, and the Polisario Front, which is fighting for independence for the former Spanish colony. MINURSO's function also includes organising a referendum allowing Sahraouis to decide between self-rule and incorporation into Morocco.

    MINURSO's mandate has been extended several times, including thrice this year, due to the inability of the two sides to agree on UN peace proposals, the latest of which was drafted in June by former US Secretary of State James Baker III, Annan's personal envoy to Western Sahara. The plan offered Western Sahara limited autonomy within Morocco. The Sahraouis would have competence over areas such as economic, legal and social affairs, whereas defence, foreign affairs and the currency would remain under Moroccan control. The plan, which also provides for a referendum on the territory's final status within five years, was rejected by the Polisario.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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