Photo: Martine Perret/UN PhotoPeacekeepers have been stationed in Western Sahara since 1991 when the UN mission, MINURSO, was established (file photo). Resolving the conflict "lies in the interest of all", Mr. Köhler added, in his capacity as Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara, where decades of conflict over disputed ownership has been contained since 1991, by the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). "A peaceful solution to this conflict is possible," he insisted, while also commending the representatives from Morocco, the Frente POLISARIO movement, Algeria and Mauritania for "engaging openly... and committing to resolving the conflict". Reading an agreed final communiqué, Mr. Köhler noted that all delegations "recognized that cooperation and regional integration, not confrontation, were the best way to address the many important challenges the region is facing". Adopted on 31 October 2018, UN Security Council resolution 2440 calls on the parties to the dispute over Western Sahara "to engage constructively" in talks.

Source: The North Africa Journal December 06, 2018 19:18 UTC