UN Continues Work to Solve Western Sahara Dispute

Those of you who teach the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion in the Western Sahara case in international law classes may be interested to know that the matter is still on the United Nation's agenda. In a UN press release today, the UN provided some details regarding a recent phone call between King Mohammed VI of Morocco and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in which the Secretary General reiterated the commitment of the UN to the negotiation process aimed at reaching a settlement in the Western Sahara dispute.

According to information provided by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson to the media over the weekend, the UN chief stated that the UN “does not intend to modify the terms of its mediation, whose purpose is to promote the achievement of a mutually acceptable political solution to this conflict.”

The UN has been involved in efforts to find a settlement in Western Sahara since 1976, when the Spanish colonial administration of the territory ended. A peacekeeping force, known as the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), has been in place since 1991, and UN officials continue to pursue a mediation process to help resolve the dispute.

(cgb)