The path is clear for a first informal meeting on Sahara, Ross

Rabat -Following successive talks in Algiers, Tindouf, Nouakchott and Rabat, the path is now clear for holding a first informal me

Rabat -Following successive talks in Algiers, Tindouf, Nouakchott and Rabat, the path is now clear for holding a first informal meeting on the Sahara, the date and venue of which will be announced soon, the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Sahara affirmed on Monday

    "I am optimistic regarding this first informal meeting," the UN official said during a joint press briefing in Rabat with Moroccan Foreign Minister, Taib Fassi Fihri.

    "I am sure the meeting will make a major contribution to the quest for a solution to the conflict that has been lasting for too long and that impedes the work that has to be done at the regional integration level," Ross told reporters.

    "This second tour in the region, he added, aims at implementing the latest resolution of the UN Security Council (UNSC), taking stock of the results of the negotiations process until now and preparing the informal meetings approved by the UNSC to prepare for a fifth round of negotiations."

    Morocco's  FM underlined that the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Sahara will continue his mission on the basis of the action of the UN and his predecessor, the achievements made  during recent years and the momentum created by Morocco's autonomy initiative.

   Ross's action falls “within the framework of a well defined mission” that aims to implement the last resolution of the UNSC, Fassi Firhi said.

   Morocco's autonomy proposal for its southern provinces, known as the Sahara, is the result of a large process of consultations that were held at the  local and governmental levels and welcomed by the international community.

    This initiative seeks to reach a consensual solution under the aegis of the United Nations and within the framework of Morocco's sovereignty, Fassi Fihri explained.

   He also recalled that the UNSC had decided to hold a fifth round of talks on the Sahara following one or several informal meetings to create the best climate possible for a successful fifth round.

    Stressing Morocco's commitment to engage in these meetings, the minister said: "the important thing is the request of the United Nations Security Council to the parties to engage in serious and substantial talks that take stock of Morocco's efforts and are based on a realistic and future-oriented approach."

    Ross, arrived, Saturday to Morocco, last leg of a tour in the region.

    Part of this tour, the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary General for the Sahara had visited Algiers, Tindouf and Nouakchott.

Source: MAP

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