Security Council extends Sahara mission mandate until October 31

The United Nations Security Council on Friday extended the mandate of the U.N mission for the referendum in the Sahara (Minurso) until next October 31.

Under resolution 1198, unanimously adopted, the council notes with satisfaction that, as recommended by the U.N. Secretary-General in his latest report, his Personal Envoy engaged the parties to find a solution to the issues related to the implementation of the settlement plan.

The U.N. plan seeks to settle the Sahara issue through the holding of a self-determination referendum to determine whether the former Spanish colony, retrieved by Morocco in 1975, sets up on its own or be definitively incorporated into Morocco.

The Council also noted with satisfaction that the Moroccan authorities agreed to formalize the presence of the UN high Commissioner for Refugees (HCR) in the Sahara and asked the parties to take concrete measures to enable the HCR undertake preparations for the repatriation of refugees and their immediate relatives entitled to vote in the referendum in accordance with the settlement plan.

The Council also called for a rapid conclusion of the accords on the statute of the forces, which will facilitate the integral deployment on due time of the military units of the Minurso. In this regard, the Council noted that some progress was already made.

The council also asked the Secretary-General to present, every 30 days starting from the extension date of the Minurso mandate, a report on the implementation of the settlement plan and the accords reached by the parties.