New Attempt at Negotiations on Western Sahara

United Nations, Oct.18. -UN Special Envoy for Western Sahara Christopher Ross is trying to resume informal negotiations between Morocco and the Polisario Front.

Ross arrived in Algeria on Sunday aiming to resume talks, in a tour that will also include Mauritania, Tindouf (Saharan territory), and Morocco.

On Saturday, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met with Moroccan King Mohamed VI in Rabat, but it was not officially reported whether the West Sahara topic was discussed in their meeting.

Ban Ki-moon visited that Arab nation to attend the opening of a world conference in Marrakech City.

Both leaders held talks in New York three weeks ago, in which Ban Ki-moon insisted on the need of resuming informal talks with the Polisario Front, and considered unsustainable the current status-quo in that territory.

Talks have remained at a standstill since February, when an informal meeting took place in Westchester, in New York State. The parties only agreed to meet again as soon as possible.

That was the second meeting on that matter held in response to resolution 1871 of the UN Security Council for resuming official talks. The first meeting was held in Vienna in August, 2009. (Prensa Latina)