During this briefing and consultation held in accordance with resolution 2440, Köhler updated the Security Council members on his plans to advance the UN-led political process and convene a second roundtable in March. The initial Sahara roundtable convened in Geneva was the first of its kind in six years. Discussion in Geneva focused on stocktaking of recent developments, challenges and opportunities for regional integration, and next steps in the political process. The former rounds of UN-brokered negotiations on the Sahara stalled due to the intransigent stand of the Algeria-backed Polisario front. UN Security Council adopted end of April 2018 resolution 2414 which stressed the need to “make progress in the search for a realistic, pragmatic and sustainable political solution to the Sahara issue”.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 30, 2019 10:36 UTC