Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Western Sahara Talks Resume This Week

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and UN Western Sahara Envoy Christopher Ross (UN News Centre)









The United Nations has backed a round of informal talks concerning the Western Sahara conflict. The talks will include Morocco and the Polisario Front, along with the neighboring countries of Mauritania and Algeria. The talks start today and will end on Thursday.

The talks come at the invitation of Christopher Ross, Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara, continuing an effort since 1976 to negotiate a settlement.

Question: How do you think the talks will go?

Leave your comments below.

3 comments:

  1. I believe that the talk will reach a deadlock again since neither Morocco nor Algeria are will to make comprises, the fact that prevent a move forward towards the resolution of the conflict.

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  2. I hope this time the talk will lead to the resolution of the western sahara conflict once and so set an end the long years of mistrust and opposition.

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  3. It will not go anywhere. The real talks must be between Algeria and Morocco. The Wikileaks diplomatic cables have already revealed that Algeria realizes there is no winning in prolonging this conflict, and at this point just wants to "save face" (Bouteflika's words).

    It will be by engaging Algeria directly, and establishing stronger bonds that the Western Sahara issue will be resolved, not the other way around. Perhaps one other party (like Tunisia) should mediate, but that's it. There's no need for the whole AU, UN, EU, and whatever other organisation to be involved.

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