Chahid El Hafed, 24/08/2006 (SPS) The UN’s Special Representative for the Western Sahara, the Italian, Francisco Bastagli, regretted on Wednesday to be ending his mandate while "the Saharawi conflict is still opened at the political level", he indicated in a statement to the press.

Mr. Bastagli, who was invited to a luncheon offered by the President of the Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz, at the "Houssine Tamek" residency, has highly saluted "the collaboration of the Saharawi party during (his) mandate at the head of the Minurso".

He also said he was confident in "the will of the Saharawi people to guarantee their future and to face the challenges, and also in the efforts of the UN to support the self-determination of this people", who "will contribute to the bringing of a satisfying solution to the conflict of the Western Sahara".

The President of the Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz, on his side regretted the fact that Mr. Bastagli, has finished his functions while the conflict remains in "a real impasse" because of the "delays registered in the implementation of the peace plan and because of the intransigent position of the Moroccan Government".

He further expressed his "deep concern about the situation of the Saharawi civilians in the territories occupied by Morocco and the need to impose the respect of the fundamental rights and human rights thee as well as to open the territory to international and independent observers".

Mr. Abdelaziz also noted "the humanitarian character" of the visits between the families who are separated since 30 years by a military wall, and the "vitality of resuming them as soon as possible".

The meeting as attended by the Saharawi Prime Minister, Mr. Abdelkader Taleb Oumar, the Saharawi Coordinator with the MINURSO, Mr. M'Hamed Khadad, and other members of the Polisario Front’s National Secretariat and the Saharawi Government.

The MINURSO, which is present in the Western Sahara to implement a UN’s peace plan, failed so far to organise a self-determination referendum for the Saharawi people for which it was created in 1991, it should be recalled. (SPS)

020/090/100/TRD 241041 Aug 06 SPS

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