During this meeting, the first to be officially announced since the appointment of the new special envoy early January, Ban Ki-moon "wished Mr. Ross good luck with his consultations in the region, which will take place in the near future to discuss the negotiations" on the Sahara, the Secretary-General spokesperson's office said.

    Ban Ki-moon also "welcomed" Mr.Ross and commended "his knowledge and experience in the region," the same source added.

    The UN Secretary-General had appointed the U.S. diplomat as his new personal envoy to "work with the parties and neighboring countries based on the most recent Security Council Resolution 1813 and previous resolutions, building on progress made to date, in pursuit of a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution."

    Delegations of Morocco, polisario, Algeria and Mauritania have taken part, since June 2007, in Manhasset, New York outskirts, in four rounds of negotiations on the Sahara under the aegis of the former UN facilitator, Peter van Walsum.

    At the end of the last round, the parties have committed to continue negotiations at a date to be set by common consent.

    This process has been launched thanks to the autonomy initiative for the Sahara region submitted by Morocco. The initiative has been lauded by the UN Security Council and the entire international community as the outcome of serious and credible efforts to put an end to the regional dispute over the Sahara.

Source: MAP
News and events on Western Sahara issue/ Corcas