Sahara : Morocco agrees to attend talks in Geneva planned by Horst Köhler

Morocco has accepted to attend talks on the Sahara question to be held on the 4th and 5th of December in Geneva, said the Security Council’s Secretary General Antonio Guterres quoted by AFP.

The Kingdom’s answer comes as the Personal Envoy for Western Sahara Horst Köhler invited Rabat to «preliminary discussions» last week.

Guterres said he was confident that Algeria and Mauritania, the two other parts invited by Köhler, would respond positively Köhler's demand, said the same source.

On Wednesday, 3rd of October, the Polisario officially announced that it is ready to parley with the other parts in Geneva.

In his latest reports on the Western Sahara conflict, Guterres highlighted the Polisario’s positive response, the willingness of Algeria and Mauritania to fulfill «a more active role in the negotiation process», and the «encouraging signs» of Morocco when it facilitated the efforts of Köhler in June.

The UN Secretary General also called members of the Security Council to extend the MINURSO’s mandate to October the 31st 2019.