UN Security Council holds closed session on latest proposals on Sahara
Morocco-Algeria, Politics, 6/27/2001

The United Nations security council started on Tuesday consultations on the latest report submitted by UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, to settle the Sahara issue.

The meetings held in the presence of Annan's personal envoy James Baker heard explanations on recommendations contained in the secretary general's report submitted last Friday, sources close to the meeting said.

In a press briefing, Baker said the framework agreement proposal "offers the possibility of a solution to a very difficult and intractable problem" that has been lasting for 25 years, longer than any other issue examined by the United Nations, except for the problem of Cyprus.

"We are asking that the parties are willing to come to the table and talk," he went on explaining it was his experience "that the only time we have made any progress is when we have gotten the parties to come to the table and talk."

Asked on Algerian objections to the report's "style and recommendations," Baker said "we should first wait to see what step the security council would decide and if it votes for a five-month extension of the MINURSO term and follow recommendations made in the report, it would then be up to Algeria and other countries to decide by themselves whether they are going to take part or not, which will not be a good omen for prospects of a peaceful solution to the conflict."

"What would really be useless, in my opinion, is for the parties to spend five months, under our auspices - and this would be a terrible waste of time - arguing over whether they were going to talk about the framework proposal or whether they were going to talk about something we've been talking about for 10 years and haven't implemented," said Baker.

In his report, Annan recommended exploring a political solution other than the settlement plan which has been under study for ten years without result despite efforts made in collaboration with his personal envoy.

He termed this new alternative as "the last window of opportunity for years to come." He also recommended direct or indirect talks between Morocco, the Polisario Front, Algeria and Mauritania, to start, on the framework-agreement proposal and, eventually, negotiate modifications that would render it acceptable to all the parties.

Previous Stories:
  Moroccan-Algerian parliamentary cooperation discussed in Algiers   (6/4/2001)
  Morocco does not interfere in Algeria's internal affairs, prime minister   (5/4/2001)
  Royal message to Algeria's bouteflika   (4/16/2001)

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