Baker to visit

The UN envoy for Western Sahara, James Baker III, is to go on a three-day visit to Western Sahara and neighbouring countries to revive UN efforts to solve the conflict surrounding the former Spanish colony. Baker, a former US secretary of state, is expected to hold talks from 14 to 17 January with officials in Morocco, Algeria, Western Sahara and Mauritania, and leaders of the Polisario Front. The UN said in a press release on Monday that Baker would present and lobby in favour of a UN proposal for a political solution to the conflict as requested by Security Council Resolution 1429 of 30 July 2002. The conflict between Morocco and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro (Polisario Front) broke out in 1975 when Morocco annexed the territory following Spain's withdrawal from it. While Morocco claims sovereignty over the northwest African territory, the Polisario Front wants self-determination for its people. In 1991, the two sides signed a ceasefire and agreed to the deployment of a UN mission to keep the peace and organise a referendum to determine whether Western Sahara should be independent or integrated into Morocco. The UN mission has been able to maintain the peace but has not been able to hold the referendum as the two parties have disagreed on who should be eligible to vote. In early 2002, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan proposed ending the UN mission as one of four options for resolving the conflict. The others were the implementation of a 1998 settlement plan which included the referendum, the revision of a draft framework agreement worked out by Baker, and discussions on the division of the territory. Morocco rejected any division of the territory, while the Polisario Front said it would not accept the draft framework agreement as proposed by Baker.