Organize and ensure a free and
fair referendum and proclaim the results.
Western Sahara,
a Territory on the north-west coast of Africa
bordered by Morocco, Mauritania and Algeria, was
administered by Spain until 1976. Both Morocco and
Mauritania affirmed their claim to the territory, a
claim opposed by the Frente Popular para la
Liberación de Saguia el-Hamra y de Río de Oro (Frente
POLISARIO).
The United Nations has been
seeking a settlement in Western Sahara since the
withdrawal of Spain in 1976 and the ensuing fighting
between Morocco, which had "reintegrated" the
Territory, and the Frente POLISARIO, supported by
Algeria. (Mauritania renounced all claims to Western
Sahara in 1979.) In 1979, the Organization of
African Unity (OAU) also became active in seeking a
peaceful solution of the conflict.
Establishment of MINURSO
In 1985, the United Nations
Secretary-General, in cooperation with the OAU,
initiated a mission of good offices leading to "the
settlement proposals", which were accepted on 30
August 1988 by Morocco and the Frente POLISARIO. In
1990, the Security Council approved the
Secretary-General's report (S/21360) containing the
full text of the settlement proposals and the
outline of the Secretary-General's Plan for
implementing them. On 29 April 1991, the Security
Council, in its
resolution 690 (1991), decided to establish the
United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western
Sahara (MINURSO) in accordance with the
Secretary-General's report (S/22464) which further
detailed the implementation plan.
The Plan provided for a
transitional period during which the Special
Representative of the Secretary-General would have
sole and exclusive responsibility over all matters
relating to a referendum in which the people of
Western Sahara would choose between independence and
integration with Morocco. The Special Representative
would be assisted in his tasks by an integrated
group of United Nations civilian, military and UN
police personnel, to be known as MINURSO. The United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees would carry
out a repatriation programme for eligible Western
Saharan voters living outside the Territory. The
transitional period was to begin with the coming
into effect of the ceasefire and end with the
proclamation of the results of the referendum.
It was originally envisaged that
the civilian component of MINURSO would range in
size from about 800 to 1,000 personnel depending on
the requirements of the various phases of the
transitional period. At full strength, the military
component would consist of approximately 1,700
personnel, and the security unit of about 300 police
officers.
According to the settlement plan,
the referendum in Western Sahara should have taken
place in January 1992. However, it was not possible
to proceed in conformity with the original
timetable.
Ceasefire
On 24 May 1991, the
Secretary-General proposed that the ceasefire should
enter into effect on 6 September. Both parties
accepted that date. During the following three
months, however, it became clear that it would not
be possible to complete before 6 September a number
of tasks that were to be completed before the
ceasefire. It also became clear that,
notwithstanding the parties' earlier acceptance of
the settlement plan, substantial areas of difference
between them remained. One party, therefore, was not
able to agree that the transition period should
begin on 6 September 1991.
Meanwhile, hostilities had broken
out in the Territory, interrupting an informal
ceasefire that had been in effect for over two
years. In these circumstances, the Secretary-General
decided that the formal ceasefire should come into
effect on 6 September as initially agreed, on the
understanding that the transition period would begin
as soon as the outstanding tasks had been completed.
The Security Council supported his proposal that,
during this delay, 100 military observers should be
deployed in the Territory to verify the ceasefire
and the cessation of hostilities in certain areas.
The number of military observers was subsequently
increased to 228, and certain logistics and
administrative support staff were also sent to the
field.
The primary function of MINURSO at
that time was restricted to verifying the ceasefire
and cessation of hostilities. The headquarters of
the Mission was established in Laayoune, with
regional headquarters in the northern and southern
sectors of the Territory. A liaison office was also
established in Tindouf to maintain contact with the
Algerian authorities and the Frente POLISARIO.
Differences remain
Since the deployment of MINURSO in
September 1991, the ceasefire has generally held.
The transitional period, however, has not begun,
given the parties' divergent views on some key
elements of the Plan, in particular with regard to
the criteria for eligibility to vote.
Notwithstanding these difficulties, the parties have
repeatedly stated their commitment to implementing
the Plan, and MINURSO has carried out its functions
in so far as conditions have allowed. For his part,
the Secretary-General and his Special
Representatives have continued efforts to find
compromise solutions acceptable to both parties.
This process has required a number of revisions to
the Plan and the timetable.
MINURSO's Identification
Commission was established in May 1993. In August
1994, after completing the necessary groundwork,
including securing the cooperation of the parties,
MINURSO began the process of identifying potential
voters. Procedural and operational difficulties,
however, allowed only slow progress, and efforts to
resolve differences between the parties were not
successful. In May 1996, the Secretary-General
suspended the identification process and most
MINURSO civilian staff were withdrawn, including the
police component which provided security and
assistance to the Identification Commission. The
military component remained to monitor and verify
the ceasefire, as it has done throughout its
deployment.
In early 1997, the
Secretary-General intensified the examination of the
main contentious issues, including in a series of
direct talks between the parties, held under the
auspices of the Secretary-General's Personal Envoy.
By September, with the successful completion of the
last round, the Secretary-General reported that all
the agreements reached during the talks had taken
effect.
In December 1997, the
Secretary-General restarted the identification
process. Despite a number of difficulties,
identification of all applicants from tribes other
than three contested groupings drew to a close on 3
September 1998. However, the parties remained unable
to arrive at a consensus on how to deal with
applicants from the three groups.
In an effort to move the process
forward, the Secretary-General, in October 1998,
presented a package of measures to the parties,
which included a protocol on identification of those
remaining applicants from the three tribal groupings
and a protocol on the appeals process. Frente
POLISARIO accepted the package the following month,
and the Government of Morocco, after seeking
clarification, accepted in principle in March 1999.
Accordingly, identification of the
remaining individuals from the three tribal groups
resumed on 15 June 1999. As for individuals
identified in 1994 and 1995 and from December 1997
to September 1998, the appeals process got under way
on 15 July when the first part of the provisional
list was published. That list included 84,251 names
of applicants found eligible to vote out of 147,249
identified. During the six-week appeals period for
the 94-95/97-98 group, the Identification Commission
received 79,000 appeals. Identification of
applicants from the three tribal groupings was
completed at the end of December 1999. Of 51,220
individuals who presented themselves, 2,130 were
found eligible to vote. The appeals period for
individuals on the second part of the provisional
list began on 15 January for a six-week period.
Although the identification
process has been completed, the parties continue to
hold divergent views regarding the appeals process,
the repatriation of refugees and other crucial
aspects of the Plan. The Secretary-General has
instructed his Special Representative to continue
consultations with the parties to seek a
reconciliation of these views; and to explore ways
and means to achieve an early, durable and agreed
resolution of their dispute over Western Sahara.
Source - United Nations
