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Horst Kohler, the Personal Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for Western Sahara, submitted on Wednesday, 22nd of November, during a closed session in New York his first observations regarding the Sahara conflict. The UN official’s remarks came after his first official visit to Morocco, Tindouf, Algeria and Mauritania.
During a press briefing held after the meeting, Kohler stated that he is «motivated» to relaunch the UN political process in the region, refusing to give further details.
On the other hand, Sebastiano Cardi, the current president of the Security and Council and the Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations in New York indicated that Kohler’s effort «are important to give a new boost, and a new spirit that would advance the political process», as reported by AFP. He also added that the UN Council is fully supporting Kohler’s «vision».
Furthermore, Cardi pointed out that the UN Personal Envoy noticed that the two parties have adopted a «constructive attitude» without revealing his upcoming steps.
The Polisario raises concerns about the latest meeting
Meanwhile, Ahmed al-Bukhari, the representative of the Polisario Front to the United Nations, believes that «if the Security Council continues to deal with the conflict the same way as before, the efforts of the new Special Envoy will not be different» from the one’s suggested by his predecessor, who resigned last spring.
The leader of the separatist front said that the UN envoy's statement during the press briefing was not clear enough. He added that it is because «the Security Council agrees with the position of France,» which supports the proposal set by Morocco in 2007.
Speaking to a foreign diplomat, the French agency indicated that Kohler has adopted a «very cautious approach» before the Security Council, adding that he has «not went through the details». The same source also predicted that Kohler might «hold in the future informal meetings» with the parties concerned.
