Chahid Al Hafed (refugee camps), Feb 12, 2015 (SPS) - The Saharawi Coordinator with the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), Mr. Mhamed Khaddad, on Thursday said that Ross’s visit to the region comes within the context of the shuttled tours he initiated to prepare for a new round of negotiations between the Polisario Front and Morocco.
In statements to SPS, Mr. Khaddad welcomed, on behalf of the Polisario Front, the resumption of duties by the UN envoy, expressing full willingness to continue cooperating with UN efforts to resolve the conflict.
“It is high time for the United Nations to organize a fair and impartial referendum, which provides for the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination,” said the Saharawi official.
The visit of Ross and previously that of Mrs. Kim Bolduc, head of MINURSO, is a “clear expression of the failure of Morocco’s attempts to thwart UN-led efforts to settle the conflict of Western Sahara.”
“While waiting to conduct a referendum, the UN, represented in its mission in Western Sahara, must have the powers to monitor and report about the situation of human rights, and thus works for the respect of the legal status of Western Sahara and the halt of Morocco’s illegal exploitation of natural resources,” stated Mr. Khaddad.
He also noted that Ross previously presented the programme of his visit to the parties.
The UN envoy expected to arrive on Saturday in the Saharawi refugee camps as part of regional he commenced Wednesday from Rabat. (SPS)
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