The UN Secretary General defended the importance of a “fair and mutually acceptable” solution, which he said was “possible”

MADRID, October 16 (EUROPA PRESS) –

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on “all parties” to the Western Sahara conflict to have an “open mind” when facing it, setting aside preconditions and focusing on shared interests, warning of possible dangers. the urgency of resolving a problem that has persisted for nearly five decades.

This is stated in the latest report on this issue sent to the UN Security Council, accessible to Europa Press, in which it reviews the work carried out in the past year by the UN Referendum Mission in Western Sahara (MINURSO) as well as the efforts made by its special envoy, Staffan de Mistura.

Guterres’ message was addressed to “all interested parties”, a formula specifically designed by De Mistura to resolve the issue of who is the party in this conflict, as Morocco defended that Algeria should also be included, as the main supporter of the Polisario Front. , while the latter insisted that any negotiations must be between them and Rabat.

“I ask you to approach the political process with an open mind, abandoning preconditions and taking advantage of the opportunities provided by the efforts and facilitation of my personal envoy,” said Guterres, who lamented the persistent “lack of trust.” .in the region.

In this regard, he encouraged all parties to focus “on common interests” and avoid “making the situation worse through their rhetoric or actions.” In line with this, Guterres has acknowledged his concern over the deterioration of relations between Algeria and Morocco and that they have not been able to “bridge the gap”, encouraging them to “re-establish dialogue” to resume ties that were broken two years ago.

MORE URGENT SOLUTIONS THAN EVER

Guterres assessed that, given the return of hostilities between Morocco and Polisario in November 2020 and the prevailing climate of distrust in the region, “negotiating a political solution to the Sahara issue is more urgent than ever.”

According to him, if “all parties engage in good faith and there is strong political will”, in addition to the continued support of the international community, “it is possible to find a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution that provides self-determination in Western Sahara “.

Therefore, the UN Secretary General considered that the informal bilateral consultations held by De Mistura in New York last March could be “a new framework on which to build” with a view to reaching an agreement.

NEW CONSULTATION FORMAT

Guterres welcomed that “Morocco, the Polisario Front, Algeria, Mauritania and members of the Group of Friends”, consisting of Spain, France, Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom, accepted their special envoy’s invitation and that “the format was widely acceptable.”

According to the report, De Mistura stated that the aim of the consultations was “to discuss lessons learned during the political process, to deepen the examination of positions and to continue to search for mutually acceptable formulas to advance the political process.”

The special envoy provided an opportunity for participants to “articulate their views” on how to advance the process further and also advocated the need to discuss “potential elements of convergence.”

POSITION OF THE PARTIES

Morocco insists that its autonomy plan for the Sahara, proposed in 2007, is “the only viable solution,” although it clarified that “its contours will be left to negotiations and will not be limited by the parameters” proposed when the initiative was presented. .

Furthermore, according to the report, Rabat insisted on restoring the round table formula, previously followed by Algeria and Mauritania together with Polisario. The Moroccan government clarified that it will not try to impose the agenda of these meetings and although it believes that its autonomy plan should be a “starting point”, it understands that other participants also want to formulate their “starting points for negotiations”. “

In contrast, the Polisario Front reiterated that “self-determination must be the basis of any process” and stressed that the main interlocutor in future negotiations must be Morocco.

As Guterres explained in his report, Polisario leader Brahim Ghali presented De Mistura in a meeting the two held in September in New York the document ‘A foundation for relaunching the UN peace process in Western Sahara and moving towards peace, justice. and a lasting solution’, reaffirming the need for a referendum on self-determination.

Regarding Algeria, he has emphasized in the past that his role is that of “an observer, albeit an observer deeply concerned about the lack of a just and sustainable solution to the Western Sahara issue” and reiterated his rejection of the roundtable format. denounced that their participation in the events that took place between 2018 and 2019 was “instrumentalized”.

Finally, Mauritania reiterated its position on “positive neutrality,” according to Guterres’ report, which did not specify what the countries belonging to the Group of Friends expressed, other than indicating that “they actively participated in bilateral consultations. and “They give advice.”