Western Sahara : Horst Köhler officially appointed as the new personal envoy

The former German President (2004-2010), Horst Köhler was officially appointed on Wednesday, 16th of August, the personal envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Western Sahara. A press release sent by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Rabat, declares that «the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, has named Horst Köhler, the former German President, as Personal Envoy for Western Saharav.

The statement said that Horst Köhler «will cooperate with all parties to achieve a just, long-lasting and mutually acceptable political solution to the question of Western Sahara». «The German Federal Government welcomes the appointment of the former German Federal President as the personal envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Western Sahara. The commitment so far of Prof. Dr. Köhler for the African continent is known and appreciated within the UN», continues the statement.

The Moroccan government accepted in June the appointment of the German politician, a Moroccan official told the Spanish news agency. The former Personal Envoy for the Sahara, Christopher Ross, finally resigned from his post on the 30th of April, as confirmed recently by the UN spokesman Farhan Haq.

Ross had been in disaffection with Morocco for five years, which decided in 2012 to withdraw its confidence in the personal envoy. Ban Ki-moon kept him in office.