Sahara: annan invites parties to meet Baker in London

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has invited parties to the Sahara issue to meet his personal envoy, James Baker, on May 14 in London, a U.N. spokesman said on Tuesday.

Baker "intends to consult with the parties (Morocco and the Polisario) and the neighboring countries (Algeria and Mauritania) and, taking into account existing and potential obstacles, to explore ways and means to achieve an early, durable and agreed settlement of the issue," the spokesman said.

The United Nations has been trying since the early 1990's to hold a referendum to decide whether the Sahara-- a former Spanish colony retrieved by Morocco in 1975-- sets up on its own, as claimed by the Algeria-backed Polisario, or remains part of Morocco.

The vote has been repeatedly postponed due to disputes over the registration of voters.

Although the United Nations has drawn up a list of 86,386 voters, appeals are expected to be lodged by many of the more than 130,000 other applicants who have been excluded from the rolls.

Baker, a former US secretary of state, toured North Africa last month.