Morocco hopes to see Sahara referendum held shortly

Moroccan Prime Minister Abderrahmane Youssoufi on Monday voiced Morocco's wish to see the self-determination referendum held in the Sahara the soonest possible.

Youssoufi, who was interviewed by French TV5 channel, said, "We expect the United Nations Secretary General to set a definitive date (for the referendum)." "The setting of such a date depends on the completion of the identification operations, which seem to be painstaking because of certain complications provoked by the other concerned party," he said.

The much-delayed referendum is scheduled for July 2000 to determine whether the Sahara --a former Spanish colony retrieved by Morocco in 1975 under the Madrid Accords -- sets up on its own as claimed by the Polisario separatists or remains part of the homeland, Morocco.

Relatedly, the Security Council decided Monday to extend up to next december 14 the mandate of the Minurso, UN mission in charge of the referendum in the Sahara.

The three-month extension would help the UN mission complete identification operations, make an overall assessment of measures taken to ensure the success of the appeals procedure, prepare for the repatriation of refugees and make arrangements for the transition period.