Moroccan Sahara Issues
 
Early resolution of Sahara issue would be 'beneficial for regional peace, security,' UNSG

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday that an early resolution of the Sahara issue "would be beneficial for regional peace and security."
"Having early resolution of this, again, longstanding problem would be beneficial for regional peace and security," the UN chief said in a press briefing.

"My personal envoy Christopher Ross has been engaging and discussing with all the parties concerned during last year, and particularly the informal consultation which was held in Vienna in August last year, proved to be very useful," Ban said.

"I am very encouraged that the parties have agreed to hold” a second set of informal talks on the Sahara issue on February 10-11 in the outskirts of New York. "I hope we will have a good meeting there," he added. 

On Tuesday, UNSG Spokesperson Farhan Haq said "The UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon is pleased that the parties have agreed to the proposal made by his Personal Envoy, Christopher Ross, that the next set of informal talks on the Sahara be held on February 10-11."

The meeting will be based on the guidance provided by Security Council resolution 1871 (2009) and earlier resolutions, Haq said in a press briefing.

The first set of informal talks in preparation for the fifth round of negotiations was held in August 2009 in Austria, in implementation of the Security Council Resolution 1871, and brought together delegations from Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, and the polisario.

Since June 2007, four rounds of negotiations were held in Manhasset (New York outskirts), a process triggered by the Moroccan autonomy initiative for the Sahara region. 
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