Many problems to solve before UN plan implementation, says Baker

James Baker, personal envoy of the United Nations secretary general for the Sahara, said in Madrid Wednesday there were many problems to solve to be able to implement the UN settlement plan for the Sahara.

After a meeting in Madrid with Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister Abel Matutes, Baker told the press the plan's implementation was paralyzed because of several difficulties similar to the situation in 1997 and 1998. The search for a solution to the Sahara issue within a regional frame "would contribute to the strengthening of the Maghreb unity," he said.

Annan's envoy asserted that appeals by people claiming the right to vote in the referendum are not the only problem stalling the UN settlement plan implementation.