Following the fourth round of informal talks, held on December 16-18, Ross told the press that the parties engaged in "in-depth discussions on innovative approaches to give new momentum to the process of negotiation in 2011, on the basis of regular meetings."

    The parties proposed "concrete" ideas that will be "developed" during the next two sessions of informal talks on January 21-22 and in March 2011.

    At the end of the meeting, Ross went on to say, each party continued "to reject the proposal of the other as a unique basis for future negotiations."

    He called on the parties to "create a climate of trust and an atmosphere favorable to the progress of negotiations."

    Ross added that the Manhasset meeting enabled the parties to discuss the latest developments, referring to the operations of diversion orchestrated by the other parties in connection with the dismantling of Gdeim Izik camp in Laayoune.

    In this sense, he called on the parties to “avoid anything that could harm the negotiating process.”

    The four delegations (Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, polisario) also planned to meet with officials of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva “in the near future” to review the whole action plan of family visits and to advance towards the launch of these visits by land.

    They confirmed the continuation of family visits by air.

    The Moroccan delegation to the talks was composed of Foreign Minister Taib Fassi Fihri, Director of the intelligence agency (DGED) Mohamed Yassine Mansouri and Secretary-General of the Royal Advisory Council for Saharan Affairs (CORCAS), Maouelainin Ben Khalihanna Maouelainin.

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