Rabat – The Moroccan government has officially responded to the Horst Kohler’s invitation and will attend the Western Sahara roundtable.
On Thursday, the government expressed its willingness to attend the talks on December 4 and 5 in Geneva.
Morocco’s Government Spokesperson Mustapha El Khalfi said today in a press conference after the government council meeting that Morocco “decided to respond to the invitation of the Personal Envoy of the [UN] Secretary-General, Horst Kohler.”
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He explained that the invitation was also addressed to Algeria and Mauritania.
Representatives of the Algerian-backed movement, the Polisario Front, will also attend the meeting.
Kohler sent his invitations to the parties in September. He called on the parties concerned to respond by October 20.
Morocco is likely the first party to answer Kohler’s request. The country has repeatedly expressed its support for the UN’s efforts to find an agreed upon and mutually acceptable solution to the four-decade-long conflict over the region.
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On Wednesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addressed a note to the UN Security Council urging the parties to the conflict and the neighboring parties to come to the negotiating table without preconditions.
In his address, Guterres also called on the Security Council to extend the MINURSO mandate for one year. The UN mission’s mandate in Western Sahara is set to end October 31.
The Security Council is expected to hold three meetings on Western Sahara this month, including a meeting on MINURSO’s mandate.
