Projected Sahara referendum will probably be postponed, UN chief says

The referendum which the United Nations is planning to hold in the Sahara next December will be probably postponed, the UN secretary general said Friday.

In an exclusive interview with the correspondent in New York of the French Radio "Radio France Internationale," Kofi Annan said one should not hope to see the referendum held in December after the delays made in the implementation of the UN settlement plan.

The UN plan provides for the holding of a self-determination referendum in the Sahara to determine whether that former Spanish colony retrieved by Morocco in 1975 under the Madrid accords sets up on its own, as claimed by the Polisario or incorporates into Morocco.

The referendum, which was proposed by Morocco in the early 1980's, is hampered by disagreements over the list of eligible voters.

"We are in contact with all involved parties to settle a number of pending issues," the UN chief told RFI radio, terming as a good sign and a forward step the accord sealed lately between the involved parties on the status of the forces of the MINURSO (U.N. mission for the holding of a referendum in the Sahara).

The U.N Security Council extended on Thursday the mandate of the MINURSO till next March 31. The MINURSO has been deployed in the Sahara since the early 1990's.