Security council extends MINURSO mandate to next Sept 14
Morocco, Politics, 5/15/1999

The Security Council Friday extended to next September 14 the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in the Sahara (MINURSO) in order to resume the identification process, start the appeals procedure and conclude all agreements needed to implement the Settlement Plan.

In its resolution 1238 (1999) adopted unanimously, the Council asks the secretary general to report every 45 days on significant developments in the implementation of the Settlement Plan, focusing in particular on issues which will form the basis of the Council's consideration of a further extension of the mandate of MINURSO.

The Council also requested the Secretary-General to submit to it a revised timetable and financial implications for the holding of the referendum. It requested the UNHCR to provide the Security Council with recommendations for confidence-building measures and a tentative timetable for their implementation.

In addition, the Council supported the proposed increase in staff of the Identification Commission from 25 to 30 members, as well as the proposed increase in the necessary support activities.

The Security Council decided to extend the MINURSO mandate after Morocco and the Polisario accepted revised arrangements on the identification of eligible voters and appeals process. Annan had proposed July 2000 as a new date for the referendum, June 1st, 1999 to resume identification of potential voters in the referendum and July 1st to start the appeals procedure (for people who were not accepted in the voter rolls).

The Council welcomed early this week the acceptance by the two parties of the proposed package measures, which will, council chairman says, pave the way for the holding of the referendum in the Sahara.

The council took note of the letter addressed by Morocco's foreign affairs minister, Mohamed Benaissa, to the Security council, renewing the Kingdom's attachment to the holding of the referendum the soonest possible.

The letter also calls for the respect of the right of all the Sahara population to participate in the referendum.

The issue of identification and appeals has been a major obstacle to the holding of the voting due to the Polisario's attempts to shrink the electorate. A total of 165,000 potential voters belonging to non-contested tribes have so far been identified. The new identification operation would cover "contested tribes" to whom the Polisario was denying the right to vote.

Previous Stories:
  UN Security Council hails acceptance of proposed package on Sahara   (5/13/1999)
  U.N. Security Council extends MINURSO mandate by two weeks   (5/3/1999)
  UN chief recommends additional extension of MINURSO mandate, a new referendum date   (4/30/1999)

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