Sahara : Antonio Guterres abandons the idea of appointing a Slovak minister as personal envoy

The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has reportedly abandoned the idea of appointing Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak as personal envoy to Western Sahara, French state-owned news channel France24 reported on Monday.

Quoting diplomatic sources, the international news channel did not mention the reasons behind this decision. France24 also did not mention names of potential candidates tipped to replace former German president Horst Kohler, who resigned in May 2019 due to health reasons.

Two weeks ago, diplomats told French news agency AFP that Slovak diplomat Miroslav Lajcak is one of the names expected to be appointed as the Secretary General’s personal envoy to Western Sahara.

Unless one of the parties to the conflict objects, Lajcak’s nomination should be confirmed in the coming weeks, diplomats told AFP.

They also explained that Antonio Guterres’ attempts to appoint a new personal envoy to the Sahara has not been an easy task. «Several candidates refused to take up the post when asked, or were rejected by one of the parties to the conflict», the same sources told the news agency.