Gabon's vote in favor of extending the mandate of MINURSO "especially reflects our support for the Moroccan autonomy initiative," said Ambassador Michel Xavier Biang, permanent representative of Gabon to the United Nations, after the vote on resolution 2654.
The Moroccan autonomy initiative for the Sahara "presents credible and reassuring prospects not only to end the current impasse but also to achieve a political solution acceptable to all," he said.
The UN Security Council decided on Thursday to extend for one year MINURSO mandate, while enshrining, once again, the pre-eminence of the Moroccan autonomy initiative to close the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara.
"We are convinced that this resolution will support the efforts of Mr. Staffan de Mistura, the UN Secretary General's Personal Envoy for the Sahara, to relaunch the political process between various stakeholders," said the Gabonese ambassador.
-News on Western Sahara/ - issue