Moscow (Russia), August 18, 2018 (SPS) - Russia has expressed supports for the efforts made by the United Nations Secretary General's special envoy for Western Sahara, Horst Kohler, the spokeswoman of the Russian ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, said, calling for resumption of the direct negotiations between Morocco and the Polisario Front, with the participation of Algeria and Mauritania as observers.
In her latest briefing at the ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday, the spokeswoman of the Russian diplomacy stressed the need to settle Western Sahara conflict through UN resolutions and UN chief's special envoy Horst Kohler.
Russia, she said, supports a new stage of direct negotiations between the two parties to the conflict.
"We note with satisfaction the increased efforts made by Horst Kohler, the UN Secretary General's special envoy for Western Sahara and former federal president of Germany, for the peace process in Western Sahara to resume, without pre-conditions, between the two protagonists, in addition to neighboring Algeria and Mauritania as observers."
"A lasting peace in Western Sahara can only be achieved through political means," Sakharova underlined.
"While maintaining contacts with all the concerned parties, we will continue to help creating a positive process to reach a settlement in Western Sahara," she said.
The Russian official said Moscow supports the current approach to resolve the 40-year-long conflict.
"There is no other alternative to a compromise based on the well-known resolutions of the UN Security Council and General Assembly, in line with the principles and objectives of the United Nations Charter." (SPS)
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