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Udenrigsudvalget 2014-15 (1. samling)
URU Alm.del Bilag 137
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AFRICAN UNION

UNION AFRICAINE

UNIÃO AFRICANA

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, P.O. Box: 3243, Tel.: (251-11) 551 38 22

Email: [email protected]

Fax: (251-11) 551 93 21

PEACE AND SECURITY COUNCIL

496

MEETING

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA

27 MARCH 2015

PSC/PR/2.(CDXCVI)

REPORT OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE COMMISSION ON THE EVOLUTION OF THE

PEACE PROCESS IN WESTERN SAHARA AND OTHER RELATED ISSUES

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REPORT OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE COMMISSIONON THE EVOLUTION OF THE

PEACE PROCESS IN WESTERN SAHARA AND OTHER RELATED ISSUES

INTRODUCTION

This report is submitted in pursuance of the relevant decisions of both the Executive Council

and the Assembly of the Union, requesting me to pursue my efforts with respect to the search for a

solution to the conflict in Western Sahara and to provide regular updates on the evolution of the

situation.

II.

BACKGROUND

It will be recalled that, following concerns expressed during successive meetings of the

relevant AU policy organs at the lack of progress in the search for a solution to the conflict in

Western Sahara, the Executive Council, at its 22

Ordinary Session held in Addis Ababa from 24 to

25 January 2013, adopted decision EX.CL/Dec.758(XXII) in which it requested the Commission “to

take all necessary measures for the organization of a referendum for the self-determination of the

people of Western Sahara, in compliance with the relevant decisions of the Organization of African

Unity (OAU) and United Nations (UN) resolutions.” This decision was taken against the backdrop of

continued stalemate in the peace process, in spite of the fact that both the UN General Assembly

and the UN Security Council have adopted numerous resolutions, calling for the exercise of the right

of self-determination by the people of the Territory. Western Sahara has been inscribed since 1963

on the list of territories to which UN General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960

on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and People applies. To-date, Western

Sahara remains on the UN list of the 16 dependent territories yet to exercise their right to self-

determination.

Efforts towards the search for a solution to the problem had been ongoing, in some form or

another, ever since the UN, in mid-1970s, had called on Spain, as the Administering Power of the

Territory, to organize a referendum of self-determination for the people of Western Sahara. The

challenge brought forth at the time by the Moroccan claim subsequently led to the occupation of

the Territory by the latter, in spite of the advisory opinion rendered by the International Court of

Justice (ICJ) on 16 October 1975, affirming that it had not found legal ties of such a nature between

Western Sahara and the concerned neighboring countries that might affect the application of

resolution 1514 (XV) and, in particular, of the principle of self-determination through the free and

genuine expression of the will of the people of the Territory. This ushered in a 16-year long armed

struggle against Moroccan occupation of the Territory by the forces of the Frente POLISARIO.

In August 1988, the Parties accepted the Settlement Proposals presented to them by the UN

and the OAU, on the basis of the Peace Plan adopted by the 19

Ordinary Session of the Assembly

of Heads of State and Government, held in Addis Ababa from 6 to 12 June 1983. The objective was

to enable the people of Western Sahara to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination and

independence. On 29 April 1991, the Security Council, in resolution 690 (1991), established the UN

Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) to organize and conduct the

referendum, in cooperation with the OAU. While the ceasefire component of the Proposals agreed

to by the two sides in September 1991, still holds, no progress has been made to date regarding the

organization of the envisaged referendum for self-determination.

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Following the difficulties encountered between the end of 1995 and the beginning of 1997

in identifying and registering those eligible to vote in the self-determination referendum, the then

UN Secretary-General Personal Envoy, James A. Baker III, facilitated a series of direct talks between

the Parties, leading to the signing of the Houston Accords on 16 September 1997. The

implementation of the Settlement Proposals ended in February 2000, when Morocco decided to

halt any further engagement with the identification process. The subsequent efforts by the UN

Secretary-General Personal Envoy, including the submission, in May 2003, of a Peace Plan for the

self-determination of the people of Western Sahara unanimously supported by the Security Council,

in resolution 1495 (2003) of 31 July 2003, as an optimum political solution, did not make it possible

to break the impasse. Notably, the Plan proposed an interim period of up to five years under

Moroccan jurisdiction and then a referendum of self-determination with three ballot options:

integration with Morocco, autonomy under Moroccan jurisdiction and independence. While the

Frente POLISARIO consented to the Plan, Morocco objected the inclusion of the option of

independence in the envisaged referendum.

On 10 and 11 April 2007, respectively, the Frente POLISARIO and Morocco submitted to the

UN Secretary-General proposals on how to end the conflict. The Frente POLISARIO proposed a

referendum of self-determination, with ballot options of integration, autonomy under Moroccan

jurisdiction and independence, while Morocco offered, as a solution, “autonomy within the

sovereignty and territorial integrity of Morocco”. In resolution 1754 (2007) adopted on 30 April

2007, the Security Council called upon the Parties to enter into negotiations without preconditions,

in good faith, with a view to achieving a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution

which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, consistent with the

purposes and principles of the UN Charter, requesting the Secretary-General to set up these

negotiations under his auspices.

As a follow-up, Ambassador Peter van Walsum, who replaced James Baker as Personal

Envoy in July 2005, launched what came to be known as the Manhasset Process, after the name of

the place, in New York, where the meetings between the two Parties were held. Four sessions of

direct talks were convened between June 2007 and March 2008 without progress, as Morocco

insisted that its offer of autonomy was the only basis under which the negotiations could take

place.

Against this background, the new Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General, Ambassador

Christopher Ross, who was appointed in January 2009, proposed, instead of continuing with the

direct talks by convening the 5

round, to first organize “informal talks”, the objective of which was

to build confidence and trust between the two Parties to facilitate bilateral dialogue towards a

more substantive discussion of the core issues at stake in the dispute. This approach was welcomed

by the Security Council in its resolution 1871 (2009) of 30 April 2009. Ambassador Ross organized

thirteen rounds of informal talks between the Parties, without progress. In October/November

2012, the Personal Envoy, for the first time, visited the Territory to get a firsthand look at the

situation on the ground.

III.

RECENT EVOLUTION OF THE PEACE PROCESS

With the failure of the consultations undertaken in the context of the Security Council

approved format of informal talks between the two Parties, the Personal Envoy decided, in

March/April 2013, to initiate a new approach in order to facilitate negotiations between the Parties,

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to achieve “a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, which will provide for the self-

determination of the people of Western Sahara”. As indicated in the report of the Secretary-

General of 10 April 2014, the Personal Envoy was “to engage in a period of bilateral consultations

with the Parties and neighboring States to gauge whether the Parties are prepared to be flexible in

developing the elements of a compromise solution and how the neighboring States can be of

assistance”.

10.

It is against this background that the Personal Envoy undertook a visit to the region from 20

March to 12 April 2013. In addition to Rabat, Tindouf (Algeria), Algiers and Nouakchott, he also

visited Western Sahara for the second time, where he interacted with a wide spectrum of local

interlocutors. In his consultations with the Parties, he endeavored to secure their concurrence to his

proposal to conduct confidential bilateral discussions with them and undertake shuttle diplomacy

as may be needed. He seized the opportunity to urge them “to enter the forthcoming discussions

with as much flexibility, creativity and imagination as possible and to move beyond their existing

proposals towards a compromise or intermediate solution”. The Personal Envoy undertook another

visit to the region from 12 to 25 October 2013, during which he requested the Parties to appoint

working groups that would engage with him, on the basis of the guidance provided by the Security

Council, first, the substance of a mutually acceptable political solution, second, the means by which

the people of Western Sahara would exercise self-determination.

11.

The Personal Envoy undertook two visits to the region in 2014: from 18 to 30 January and

27 February to 7 March 2014, respectively. During the first visit, the Personal Envoy held meetings

with the working groups established by the Parties at his request, to seek greater clarity on the

issues at hand, their positions and their readiness to be flexible. In the second visit, he sought to

receive responses to the questions that he had put to the Parties in January 2014. It should be

added that, during both visits, he had discussions with the neighboring States of Algeria and

Mauritania on how best they could contribute to the search for a solution.

12.

In his 10 April 2014 report to the Security Council, the Secretary-General indicated that the

reactions of the Parties to the new approach of his Personal Envoy “remain within the parameters

of their respective formal proposals”. He, however, added that there was “a measure of hope that

the Parties may be able to take a more flexible approach in future discussions”. The Secretary-

General recommended to the UN Security Council to comprehensively review the framework that it

provided in April 2007 for the negotiating process, should no progress occur before April 2015.

13.

In resolution 2152 (2014), adopted on 29 April 2014, the UN Security Council welcomed the

Parties’ commitment to continue the process of preparation for a 5

round of negotiations, and

called upon them to continue to show political will and work in an atmosphere propitious for

dialogue. The Security Council called upon the Parties to continue negotiations under the auspices

of the Secretary-General without preconditions and in good faith, taking into account the efforts

made since 2006 and subsequent developments, with a view to achieving a just, lasting and

mutually acceptable political solution, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of

Western Sahara in the context of arrangements consistent with the principles and purposes of the

Charter of the United Nations, and noting the role and responsibilities of the Parties in this respect.

The question of Western Sahara was considered by the Security Council on 27 October 2014. The

Personal Envoy then indicated that the negotiation process remained exactly where it was when

the Security Council considered the matter in April 2014.

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14.

As part of his new approach, the Personal Envoy was planning to hold bilateral discussions

with the Parties and with the neighboring States, approximately once a month, with the possibility

of convening face-to-face discussions, once sufficient progress has been made. However, he was

not able to proceed as planned. While the Frente POLISARIO and the neighboring States of Algeria

and Mauritania were prepared to receive him, Morocco was not willing to do so. In January 2015,

Morocco lifted its objection, allowing the Personal Envoy, starting from 11 February, to visit Rabat

and to proceed thereafter to the other countries of the region. Likewise, the newly-appointed

Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for MINURSO, Mrs Kim Bolduc, who could not

take up her post in Laayoune for several months, was also allowed to do so on 5 February 2015.

IV.

FOLLOW-UP TO THE RELEVANT DECISIONS OF THE AU’S POLICY ORGANS

15.

As indicated above, in decision EX.CL.Dec.758 (XXII), the Executive Council requested the

Commission to take all necessary measures for the organization of a referendum for the self-

determination of the people of Western Sahara, in compliance with the relevant decisions of the

OAU and UN resolutions. In follow-up, on 10 April 2013, I wrote to the Foreign Ministers of the

Kingdom of Morocco and the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). In those letters, I

expressed AU’s concern at the continued stalemate in the conflict and requested the Parties to

apprise the Commission of their respective views on the prevailing situation and prospects for its

resolution. In a letter addressed to me on 2 May 2013, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of SADR

expressed appreciation for the AU’s effort to expedite the decolonization of Western Sahara. On his

part, the Foreign Minister of Morocco, in a letter dated 6 May 2013, objected to any specific AU

role, stressing that all concerned, particularly in Africa, should support and encourage the efforts of

the UN Security Council and the Secretary-General. Also, on 10 April 2013, I addressed a letter to

the UN Secretary-General, to stress the need for renewed efforts by the international community to

overcome the current impasse and to invite his Personal Envoy to visit Addis Ababa for

consultations with the Commission on the way forward. As requested, my letter was shared with

the members of the Security Council.

16.

In May 2013, I submitted to the 23

Ordinary Session of the Executive Council, held in Addis

Ababa from 19 to 23 May 2013, my first progress report on the situation in Western Sahara

[EX.CL/788(XXIII)-Rev.1]. On its part, the Executive Council adopted decision EX.CL/Dec.773(XXIII), in

which it reiterated the OAU/AU’s earlier decisions and pronouncements on the situation in Western

Sahara and requested me to pursue my efforts, including further consultations with the Parties, as

well as continued interaction with the UN and other relevant international stakeholders.

17.

As a follow up, the Commission continued its consultations with the UN and other

stakeholders in the international community, stressing the imperative for increased international

engagement, in order to overcome the impasse in the peace process. More specifically, I discussed

the issue in New York, in September 2013, on the margins of the General Assembly, both with the

UN Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy. Furthermore, on 2 December 2013, I sent letters to

the Parties to transmit the decision adopted by the Executive Council and to inform them that the

AU Senior Representative to MINURSO would liaise with them for further exchanges of views on the

matter. I also wrote to the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Algeria and Mauritania, as well as to the

permanent members of the UN Security Council (China, France, Russia, United Kingdom and United

States of America), Spain, as the former Administrative Power in Western Sahara, and the UN

Secretary-General, to update them on AU’s efforts, including the decision adopted by the 23

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Ordinary Session of the Executive Council, and to inform them of my intention to send an Envoy to

their respective capitals to exchange with them on the situation.

18.

In June 2014, I appointed former President Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique as my Special

Envoy for Western Sahara. I requested him to undertake consultations with the permanent

members of the UN Security Council and Spain, as well as with the UN Secretariat, on how best the

AU can support international efforts to find a solution to the conflict on the basis of international

legality and urge for renewed international engagement towards the resolution of the conflict in

Western Sahara.

19.

From 11 to 17 June 2014, the Special Envoy undertook visits to London, Paris, Madrid,

Washington and New York, to consult with the relevant British, French, Spanish, US and UN officials.

From 6 to 10 September 2014, he visited Moscow, for discussions with Russian officials. From 19 to

22 January 2015, he went to Beijing, where he held consultations with relevant Chinese officials.

The Special Envoy had fruitful discussions with all his interlocutors. The following elements emerged

from these discussions:

(i)

frustration over the lack of progress in the search for a solution to the conflict and the need

for renewed international engagement, in particular from the Security Council, to overcome

the current impasse, on the basis of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions;

support for the efforts being undertaken by the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-

General, including the new approach he has embarked upon since March-April 2013;

recognition of the positive role that the AU could play in the search for a solution and

encouragement for a more active involvement of the continent in the related international

efforts, including enhanced contacts with the Parties and other stakeholders. Some

interlocutors of the Special Envoy expressed their willingness to support any creative idea

the AU may have to help move the process forward, within the framework set by the UN;

recognition of the critical importance of the report that the UN Secretary-General is

expected to submit in April 2015, whose recommendations will inform further international

efforts on Western Sahara; and

concern over issues relating to the situation of human rights and the illegal exploitation of

the natural resources of the Territory.

(ii)

(iii)

(iv)

(v)

20.

On 6 February 2015, and at their request, I received a delegation from the Moroccan

Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), led by its Deputy President, Mr. Ilyas El Omari, who is also

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of the Kingdom of Morocco. The

meeting provided an opportunity to discuss a number of issues of common concern, including the

prevention and combating of terrorism, women’s empowerment, socio-economic development,

Morocco’s relations with the AU and the situation in Western Sahara. On that last point, I stressed

the need to find a lasting solution to the conflict that would be acceptable to both Parties on the

basis of international legality, and reiterated the AU’s readiness and availability to assist the Parties

in overcoming the current stalemate, within the context of the relevant decisions of the AU policy

organs. I assured the delegation of the AU’s continued readiness to engage on issues of mutual

concern.

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21.

During the period under review, the policy organs have remained actively seized of the

situation in Western Sahara. In decision Assembly/AU/Dec.536(XXIII) on the report of the Peace and

Security Council on its Activities and the State of Peace and Security in Africa, the 23

Ordinary

Session of the Assembly of the Union, held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, from 26 to 27 June 2014,

reiterated the need for renewed efforts to facilitate an early resolution of the conflict, which will

provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara in line with relevant UN Security

Council resolutions. The Assembly also welcomed the consultations then being undertaken by my

Special Envoy with international stakeholders. In decision Assembly/AU/Dec.559(XXIV) on the

report of the Peace and Security Council on its Activities and the State of Peace and Security in

Africa, the 24

Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union, held in Addis Ababa, from 30 to 31

January 2015, reiterated the UN Security Council calls to the Parties to continue negotiations

without preconditions and in good faith, and expressed AU’s full support to the efforts of the UN

Personal Envoy. The Assembly also welcomed the steps I had taken to follow up on the relevant

decision of the Executive Council, and requested me to pursue my efforts, in order to mobilize the

necessary support for the UN-led efforts.

22.

Furthermore, and in reaction to the plans to organize the Crans Montana Forum in the city

of Dakhla, the 24

Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union adopted a declaration on the

issue [Assembly/AU/Decl.7(XXIV)]. In that declaration, the Assembly, having reaffirmed earlier AU

decisions on Western Sahara and expressed support to my efforts and those of my Special Envoy, in

coordination and complementarity with the efforts of the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-

General, considered that the organization of any international conference in the current

circumstances in Western Sahara is in contradiction with the efforts to resolve the conflict; urged

Crans Montana and all other organizers to cancel the meeting; and called upon Member States and

African civil society not to take part in the Forum. It should also be noted that, following reports

that the UN was attending the Forum, which took place from 12 to 14 March 2015, the Secretariat

denied those reports and underlined that the Secretary-General did not delegate anyone to

represent him or the UN. The Secretariat further stressed that while Dakhla is described in Forum

materials as a city in Morocco, the definitive status of Western Sahara is the object of a negotiating

process being conducted under the auspices of the Secretary-General in accordance with the

relevant UN resolutions.

MANDATE AND ACTIVITIES OF MINURSO

23.

As indicated above, MINURSO was established by resolution 690 (1991), following the

acceptance by the two Parties of the UN/OAU Settlement Plan and its subsequent endorsement by

the Security Council. As part of its mandate to implement the provisions of the Settlement Plan,

MINURSO conducted the identification of eligible Sahrawi voters to participate in the projected self-

determination referendum. With the stalemate brought about by the problems encountered in the

appeal process, the main task of MINURSO on the ground relates now to the observation and

monitoring of the ceasefire agreement between the Parties. As at March 2015, the Mission had a

military component of 220 personnel, against an authorized strength of 246. By resolution 2152

(2014), the Security Council decided to extend MINURSO’s mandate until 30 April 2015. It

reaffirmed the need for full respect of the military agreements reached with MINURSO with regard

to the ceasefire, and called on the Parties to adhere fully to those agreements, as well as to

cooperate fully with the operations of MINURSO.

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24.

On the ground, MINURSO works closely with the AU Office in Western Sahara, which was

established following the adoption of UN Security Council resolution 690 (1991). At the time when

MINURSO was engaged on the identification of potential Sahrawi voters for the projected

referendum, OAU/AU observers participated in the exercise. Since then, the Office, which is headed

by a Senior Representative, Ambassador Yilma Tadesse, of Ethiopia, and located in the MINURSO

premises, maintains consultations with the Parties and relevant international stakeholders.

VI.

HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION

25.

Over the past few years, the Frente POLISARIO, the African Commission on Human and

People’s Rights (ACHPR) and a number of international human rights activists have been calling on

the UN to empower MINURSO with a human rights monitoring mandate. In his 8 April 2013 report

on the situation concerning Western Sahara, the UN Secretary-General urged for further

international engagement and, given ongoing reports of human rights violations, stressed that the

need for independent, impartial, comprehensive and sustained monitoring of the human rights

situations in both Western Sahara and the camps has become ever more pressing. While Security

Council resolution 2099 (2013) of 25 April 2013 did not empower MINURSO with such a mandate, it

however stressed in its preamble the importance of improving the human rights situations in

Western Sahara and the Tindouf camps and encouraged the Parties to continue in their respective

efforts in this regard.

26.

In his 10 April 2014 report, the UN Secretary-General, while welcoming the steps taken by

the Parties, stated that “the end goal nevertheless remains the sustained, independent and

impartial monitoring of human rights, covering both the Territory and the camps”. In the preamble

of resolution 2152 (2014), the Security Council stressed once again the importance of improving the

human rights situation, encouraged the Parties to work with the international community to

develop and implement independent and credible measures to ensure full respect for human rights,

encouraged the Parties to continue in their respective efforts to enhance the promotion and

protection of human rights in Western Sahara and the Tindouf refugee camps, including freedoms

of expression and association, and recognized and welcomed the steps and the initiatives taken by

Morocco in this regard.

VII.

EXPLOITATION OF WESTERN SAHARA’S NATURAL RESOURCES

27.

The issue of the exploitation of the natural resources of Western Sahara by Morocco has

been the subject of continued complaints by the Frente Polisario, which underlines that Western

Sahara as non-self-governing territory ought to have its natural resources protected for the benefit

of its own people, and that the international community should ensure that they are not exploited

by Morocco. It has, in that connection, called on Morocco and on all other foreign entities to halt

the exploitation of Western Sahara’s resources and desist from entering into any agreements that

would violate the Sahrawi people’s permanent sovereignty over their natural resources. In his 10

April 2014 report, and in the light of increased interest in these resources, the UN Secretary-

General stressed that it was timely to call upon all relevant actors to “recognize the principle that

the interests of the inhabitants of these territories are paramount”, in accordance with Chapter XI,

Article 73 of the Charter.

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VIII.

OBSERVATIONS

28.

It is a matter of deep concern that four decades after the onset of the conflict of Western

Sahara, all efforts aimed at finding a solution have so far failed to achieve the expected results. As a

result, the people of the Territory have not been able to exercise their right of self-determination, in

line with relevant UN resolutions, although Western Sahara has been on the list of non-self-

governing territories since 1963.

29.

Against this backdrop, the need for renewed international efforts to overcome the current

impasse and facilitate an early resolution of the conflict cannot be over emphasized. As rightly and

repeatedly pointed out by the Security Council in its relevant resolutions, “achieving a political

solution to this long-standing dispute and enhanced cooperation between the Member States of

the Maghreb Arab Union would contribute to security and stability in the Sahel region”.

30.

I reiterate AU’s support to the efforts of the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General,

Ambassador Christopher Ross. He has demonstrated commitment and determination in the

discharge of his mandate. I would like, once again, to echo the calls made by the UN Security

Council for direct negotiations between the two Parties without preconditions and in good faith,

with a view to achieving a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, which will provide

for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, in the context of arrangements

consistent with the principles and purposes of the UN Charter. I appeal to the larger international

community to lend its full support to the efforts aimed at overcoming the current impasse.

31.

I commend the UN Security Council for remaining seized of the matter. I encourage the

Security Council to take all necessary decisions to ensure progress in the search for a solution to the

conflict in Western Sahara, acknowledging its critical role and primary responsibility for the

maintenance of international peace and security. In this respect, the Security Council, at its

forthcoming April 2015 meeting on Western Sahara, may wish to give serious consideration to the

recommendation contained in the above-mentioned Secretary-General report of 10 April 2014 for a

comprehensive review of the framework it provided for the negotiating process in April 2007,

should no progress occur before April 2015.

32.

On my part, and in line with the relevant decisions of the AU policy organs, I will pursue and

intensify the efforts already initiated by the Commission in order to foster an international

engagement commensurate with the seriousness of the issue at hand. In so doing, the Commission

is guided by the need to mobilize all the necessary support for the UN-led efforts, to break the

current impasse and resolve the current conflict, which has lasted for far too long. In this respect, I

intend, including through my Special Envoy and other appropriate arrangements, to step up the

interaction with the Parties to the conflict, the neighboring States and other AU Member States, as

well as with the UN and other relevant international stakeholders. The African continent, which,

through the OAU, initiated the mediation process, stands to benefit immensely from the resolution

of this conflict.

33.

As the current mandate MINURSO expires on 30 April 2015, I look forward to its renewal by

the Security Council, to give the required space for the continuation of the political efforts. It is my

expectation that the Security Council will seize the opportunity to provide MINURSO with a human

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rights mandate, with the view to ensuring, as highlighted by the UN Secretary-General, sustained,

independent and impartial monitoring of human rights in both the Territory and the refugee camps.

Equally important, is the need to address the issue of the exploitation of the Territory’s natural

resources, bearing in mind the call made in the UN Secretary-General report of 10 April 2014.

34.

I would like to pay tribute to my Special Envoy, former President Joaquim Chissano, for

having accepted the mission I entrusted to him and for his commitment. I am also grateful to my

Senior Representative to MINURSO, Amb. Yilma Tadesse, for his continued efforts. I appreciate the

support that MINURSO continues to provide to the AU Office in Laayoune, which is a further

testimony to the close partnership between the AU and the UN in the area of peace and security.