Morocco calls for transparency in future stages of Sahara referendum process

Morocco on Monday voiced hope that the future stages of the Sahara referendum process will be handled in a transparent way, respecting the required equity.

Morocco made the wish during discussions with the United Nations on amendments introduced to the UN secretary general's package of measures submitted to the parties (Morocco and Polisario) to speed up the implementation of the settlement plan for the Sahara.

During the meeting, the Moroccan delegation, led by permanent representative to the U.N. Ahmed Snoussi, expressed reserves on some items related to the unfolding of the various stages of the referendum process, especially regarding the appeals of applicants who have already been identified, a source close to the Moroccan mission to the U.N. said.

The delegation insisted that the errors made by the identification commission should not be repeated and requested the U.N Secretary-General to be vigilant in this regard.

The results of the discussions will be expounded in details in the next report that the U.N. Secretary-General will submit to the Security Council on Thursday.

The discussions started on April 14 under the chairmanship of Secretary-General assistant for peace keeping operations, Bernard Miyet. They dealt with the amended texts of the identification protocols, the appeal procedures as well as the operational guidelines that the identification commission should observe in carrying out its mission.