London, March 04, (SPS) - James Cleverly, Minister for Middle East and North Africa at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) said on Tuesday that the United Kingdom is closely following the situation in occupied Western Sahara.
He added that his country had constant contact with the parties to conflict (Frente POLISARIO and Moroccan Kingdom) and conducted regular discussions with the UN and members of the Security Council on this matter.
In response to a question from MP Graham Maurice, quoted by the Sahrawi site "Sumoudsh.net", James Cleverly said that "Great Britain has been following the situation in Western Sahara since November 13, 2020."
On November 13th, Morocco led an assault against defenseless Sahrawi civilians in the buffer zone of Guerguerat in violation of the ceasefire agreement of 1991.
He underlined that his country’s Government takes note of the reports of military clashes between the Sahrawi People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and the forces of the Royal Moroccan Army.
The British minister recalled that his country "continues to urge everyone to avoid escalation, return to the ceasefire agreement and re-engage in the UN political process," affirming London's support to the efforts of the UN Secretary-General to designate a personal envoy to Western Sahara as soon as possible.
22 months ago, former envoy Horst Kohler resigned for health reasons. Since then, he has not been replaced by the UN.SPS
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