"We must be aware of the difficulty of holding a referendum as a way to resolve this dispute, as is the case in other conflicts in other parts of the world," she told COPE radio.

    She underlined that the Polisario, itself, recognizes the complex nature of implementing this option, as it is unable to conduct a census of the people eligible to participate in this referendum. 

    Affirming that Spain is trying to bring together the positions of Morocco and the polisario, Jimenez said that her government will continue to apply "the principle of active neutrality" in this conflict.

    For Madrid, "the best solution (to the conflict) is the one that will be the result of an agreement between the parties," she said, pointing out that the Sahara conflict is a "sensitive issue and we want this problem to be solved within the framework of the international community in the United Nations."

    Jimenez, who will visit the United States next week, said that she will hold talks about this issue with the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and his Special Envoy for the Sahara Christopher Ross, in addition to the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

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