Release remaining prisoners, Annan says

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, has called for the release of the remaining prisoners in the 27 year-old conflict between Morocco and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro (Polisario Front).

Annan, in his latest report on Western Sahara, reiterated the UN's position that the remaining prisoners be released in a "speedy" manner, describing the continued detention of 1,400 Moroccan and Sahraoui detainees as a "serious humanitarian issue", the UN reported on Monday.

The prisoners were captured during the long dispute over the northwestern territory of Western Sahara between the Polisario- which wants self-rule for Western Sahara- and Morocco, which took over the former Spanish colony when Spain pulled out in 1975.

Annan's appeal follows the release earlier this month of 115 Moroccan prisoners by the Polisario, a move that had been hailed by the world body.

He also called attention to the plight of Sahraoui refugees who have lived in Algeria for decades and appealed to international humanitarian agencies to continue to provide aid to them.

The UN has been trying to resolve the conflict for more than a decade. The UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, known by its French acronym MINURSO, was deployed in 1991, to monitor a ceasefire and organise a referendum to allow the people of Western Sahara to decide the future of the territory. On 27 November 2001, the Security Council extended its mandate until 28 February to allow further efforts to find a durable solution to the dispute.