PRESS STATEMENT ON WESTERN SAHARA BY PRESIDENT OF SECURITY COUNCIL

PRESS STATEMENT ON WESTERN SAHARA BY PRESIDENT OF SECURITY COUNCIL

Following is today’s press statement on the Western Sahara by Mignonette Patricia Durrant (Jamaica), President of the Security Council.

The members of the Security Council were briefed by Mr. Hédi Annabi on the situation in Western Sahara.

The members of the Security Council expressed support for the efforts of the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General, Mr. James Baker III, to find a solution which will be acceptable to the parties concerned.  The members of the Council also expressed their appreciation for the work of outgoing Special Representative of the Secretary-General Eagleton, and expressed support for his successor Ambassador Swing.

The members of the Security Council called on the parties to refrain from any action which could aggravate the situation.

The members of the Council expressed their concern at the humanitarian situation and called on the parties to resolve outstanding issues in this regard.

The members of the Security Council agreed to the Secretary-General’s recommendation for the extension of the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) for three months, to allow the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General and the parties concerned to continue efforts aimed at finding a durable solution to the dispute.

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