Baker to request extension of MINURSO mandate

James Baker, personal envoy of the United Nations Secretary General for the Sahara, said Thursday he will request to the UN Security Council to extend the mandate of MINURSO (French acronym for the UN Mission for the holding of referendum in the Sahara), Algerian news agency (APS) reports.

Baker will ask for a two-month extension of the mandate that expires on January 30.

James Baker, a former US Secretary of State, has toured this week the north African region where he delivered a new initiative for a political solution of the Sahara issue.

Morocco said it will examine in a "constructive spirit" the envoy's proposal.

"Morocco emphasizes its full readiness to cooperate with the United Nations and renews attachment to international legality within the respect of its national sovereignty and territorial integrity," said Moroccan minister of foreign affairs and cooperation, Mohamed Benaissa.