Morocco calls on security council to allow for more mediation in sahara issue
Morocco-Algeria, Politics, 7/24/2002

Morocco yesterday voiced hope that the United Nations Security Council will shoulder its responsibilities and allow the U.N. Secretary General and his Personal Envoy continue the political mediation work they had started part of the political agreement on the Sahara issue.

The statement was made Tuesday in a letter Mohamed Bennouna, Morocco's permanent representative to the U.N., sent to the Security Council President.

Bennouna denounced "the violent and inappropriate" statements made by Algeria against Morocco in a letter the Algerian representative to the U.N. sent on July 22 to the Council.

It is unusual that Algeria, a country that presumes not to be a party (to the issue), says it was ready to study what it calls "the possible partition of the territory of the Sahara between the Sahrawi people and the Kingdom of Morocco," with a view to barring the way to the political solution under way, Bennouna said.

"In a certain way, Algeria wants to express itself on a partition to which it would not be a party," he added.

"After sending you on July 18 a letter exclusively defending the right to self-determination in the Sahara, Algeria sent you on July 22 another letter requesting the partition of the territory, in a blatant contradiction with self-determination," the Moroccan diplomat went on in his letter.

"It is very shocking that a country, which presumes not to be a party to a difference, asks you to avoid deciding on a political solution to this very difference, by proposing to you to adopt a technical resolution extending the mandate of the MINURSO (U.N. mission in the Sahara) until the end of the year," the ambassador said, underlining that by doing so "Algeria confirms its will to do its best to bloc the political solution to the Sahara issue."

Previous Stories:
  Algeria wants end to Sahara conflict   (7/22/2002)
  Moroccan and Algerian press over Moroccan-Spanish row over Leila islet   (7/18/2002)
  Morocco renews commitment to fair and lasting political settlement to Sahara conflict   (7/17/2002)

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