Smara (Refugee Camps), 6 March 2016 (SPS) - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived Saturday in Smara (Sahrawi refugee camps) as part of his visit to the region.
During the visit, the UN chief will meet with senior officials of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) and the officials of Polisario Front.
Aboard a helicopter, Ban is accompanied by his Envoy with Western Sahara and UN delegation.
He was received by the local officials of Smara and thousands of Sahrawi refugees while a detachment of the Sahrawi liberation army (ALS) which saluted him.
During this visit, the UN Chief will hold talks with Sahrawi president and general secretary of Polisario Front Mohamed Abdelaziz. He will head to Bir Lahlou (liberated territories) to meet the members of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (Minurso).
He said that his visit to the region aimed "examining the situation in Western Sahara" and "relaunching the negotiations for the settlement of the conflict."
The UN Chief had started his tour in the region from Nouakchott, where he met on Friday Mauritanian senior officials, chiefly President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz. (SPS)
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