In a report on the progress of the Sahara negotiations, the Secretary General noted that the parties reiterated commitment to showing political will and to negotiating in good faith as called for by the Security Council.

    Mr. Ban stressed that the "parties' stated positions remained far apart on ways to achieve a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution." "At the third round, as a result," he said, "although the parties dynamically interacted with each other, there was hardly any exchange that could be characterized as negotiations."

    "During this round," the report recalled, "the parties exchanged points of view regarding the implementation of Security Council resolutions 1754 and 1783."

    The parties also commended the Secretary General Personal envoy's intention to visit the region soon to have in-depth consultations, and agreed to meet a fourth time on March 11-13 in the Long Island Estate of Greentree, New York.

    Morocco has proposed to grant substantial autonomy to its Southern Provinces, The Sahara, in a bid to solve the 32-year dispute over the control of the former Spanish colony. The separatist group “Polisario”, backed by Algeria, claims the independence of the territory that was ceded to Morocco in 1975 under the Madrid Accord signed between Spain, Mauritania and Morocco.   

    Morocco and Polisario held three rounds of talks in Manhasset (New York), in June (18-19), August (10-11) and recently (January 7-9) in conformity with the UN Security Council resolution 1754 that called on them to enter into negotiations “without preconditions” and “in good faith.”