Washington, 20 November 2021 (SPS) - The United States (US) Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, assured that Washington is "very focused" on supporting the efforts of the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General (SG)’s Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, and the UN process to achieve a "durable and dignified" solution to the conflict.
“We are very focused now on supporting the efforts of the UN envoy, Staffan de Mistura, and a UN-led process to find a durable and dignified solution. That’s the focus of our efforts,” stated Blinken in an interview with BBC Africa, which was transcribed by the U.S. State Department on Friday.
When asked several times by BBC Africa about the former Trump administration's decision to recognize Morocco’s "alleged" sovereignty over Western Sahara, Antony Blinken preferred to ignore it.
“We’re focused on the – on this UN process, helping to move it forward. We’re talking to all of the parties involved. And right now, the focus should be on what the UN is doing, again, to find a durable and dignified solution,” he continued.
Regarding a possible referendum in Western Sahara, Blinken said the US has been very engaged with all parties.
“Our focus right now, especially since we now have a UN envoy after a lot of time not having one, is to make sure that process can move forward. That’s where our focus is. That’s where our support is going,” he concluded.
Staffan de Mistura, 74, was appointed in early October to the post of personal envoy of the UN SG for Western Sahara, which has been vacant for more than two years after the resignation of the German Horst Kohler.
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