Spain lauds new informal talks on Sahara issue

    The Spanish government lauds eagerness shown by Morocco and the polisario to the UNSG Personal Envoy, Christopher Ross, for holding on February 10-11 informal talks in preparation for proper negotiations, Spanish Foreign ministry said in a statement to MAP.

    Spain, which fully supports the UNSG's efforts and the actions of his Personal Envoy, calls upon the parties to the conflict to promote a climate for dialogue and compromise and ensure the talks' progress and success, the same source said.

    According to the statement, the resolution of the Sahara conflict is among the priorities of Spain's foreign policy and supporting the UN and the negotiations between the parties to the conflict is one of its constants.

    It recalled that the negotiations under the auspices of the UN on the basis of SC resolution 1871 aim to make the parties involved reach an intense and substantial phase which leads to a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, in accordance with UN principles.

    The United Nations announced on Tuesday that the second round of informal talks on the Sahara will take place on February 10-11 in Westchester County, in the outskirts of New York.

    The first set of informal talks in preparation for the fifth round of negotiations was held in August 2009 in Austria, and brought together delegations from Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, and the polisario.

    Since June 2007, four rounds of negotiations were held in Manhasset (New York outskirts), a process triggered by the Moroccan autonomy initiative for the Sahara region.