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Al-Ahram Weekly 6 - 12 July 2000 Issue No. 489 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 6 - 12 July 2000 Issue No. 489
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region Focus International Economy Opinion Culture Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Deadlock in the Sahara
By Rasha SaadA one-day meeting in London last week on the future of the Western Sahara ended without substantial progress. The meeting, chaired by former US Secretary of State and UN envoy James Baker, was the second round of negotiations between Morocco and the Polisario Front, which demands the establishment of an independent state in the former Spanish colony.
Despite the impasse, the two sides agreed to hold more meetings. Negotiating teams are currently trying to break a deadlock over the date of a referendum that will decide the political future of the desert territory. Western Sahara residents will be given the option of being officially incorporated into Morocco, which controls most of the territory, or gaining full independence. Ibrahim Ghali, a representative of the Polisario Front, said, "We discussed issues that are hampering the peace plan, but we did not advance on the heart of the matter."
The referendum was originally scheduled to occur in 1992 under UN auspices. Since then, it has been repeatedly rescheduled and delayed. Both Morocco and the Front disagree over who has the right to vote. The United Nations drew up a list of 86,361 electors. But Morocco argues that another 140,000 people, who claim the right to vote but have been refused, should be granted the right to appeal. Morocco alleges that they are native Western Sahara residents, but were forced out during the conflict. The Polisario Front and Morocco have been fighting since the 1970s.
Also at the London meeting were representatives of the Algerian and Mauritanian governments. Morocco accuses Algeria of actively supporting the Polisario Front, while Mauritania hosts several Polisario refugee camps.
Another round of talks is expected later this month, UN sources said. According to press reports, Baker seeks to achieve progress before the end of the current UN peace-keeping mandate. Its term is set to terminate at the end of July. However, the prospects of a rapid break through are dim. In May, a previous round of talks in London also ended in failure. At the time, the Polisario Front accused Morocco of intentionally creating obstacles in order to hinder the referendum process.
Despite weeks of frustration, Morocco and the Polisario Front will continue to hold meetings. In Geneva, "technical committees" will convene for the first time over the next two months to iron out sticking points. The primary concern is the referendum. Major points of dispute are the identification of electors and the return of Sahrawi refugees from the Tindouf camps. These camps are operated by the Polisario Front near the Algerian frontier. Morocco wishes to see the refugees return to the Sahrawi governorates.
The so-called "third solution," which has been suggested by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan was not on the agenda of the London meeting. The plan calls for some form of self-rule under Moroccan sovereignty. However, this option has been completely rejected by the Polisario Front. One Polisario official described it as "an international intrigue." Annan raised this option as an expedient compromise to the politically charged referendum process. Some European countries have also expressed their support of the "third solution."
Meanwhile, in a significant victory for Moroccan diplomacy, India withdrew its recognition of the "Sahrawi Republic." India is the seventh country to take this step this year. Morocco had made a point of severing ties with any country that recognises the Western Sahara Republic. When the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) agreed to accept the Polisario Front as a member, Morocco suspended its participation in the African group.
