Chapter 4018: Mission in Western Sahara

Ernest looked at Lin Rui and whispered, "You mean. They want to negotiate with us."
"Yes. And they want to force you to negotiate with them." Lin Rui nodded. "But they can't let go. Because they have always been the masters of Western Sahara.
And the contrast between the strengths and weaknesses between them and you is too obvious, so they will not take the initiative to ask you to negotiate. But they hope that you can take the initiative to talk to them.
So this time they are going to shoot those members of the People's Front of Western Sahara, just to force you to negotiate with them. "
"Despicable." Ernest shook his head.
"Between the two countries, there is nothing vile or noble. There are only eternal interests." The actuary Jang An sneered, "Mutrazi should have been imprisoned by Morocco for several years.
Because of his reputation in the Arab world, although the Moroccans have not released him in recent years, they have always respected him.
Not only did he provide separate room and board, he even allowed him to write a book in prison. How could he be shot because of civilian casualties unrelated to him?
In addition, Morocco is currently actively operating, hoping to return to the AU and become a member of the AU.
As Mutrazi's identity and influence. If the Moroccans want to shoot him, they will be condemned and resolutely resisted by other Maghreb countries.
Not to mention rejoining the AU, it will even meet unanimous resistance from the AU countries. Morocco does not want this to happen.
So they are more of a gesture and want you to ask for dialogue with them. "
"There is no possibility of dialogue between us and Morocco. We have fundamental differences, coupled with the intensification of the armed conflict on the border..." Ernest hesitated.
"This armed conflict on the border was directed by a group of international terrorists and the forces behind them. Neither Morocco nor your Western Saharan government can solve it alone.
That's why we suggested that your Moroccan side engage in dialogue. As far as the current situation is concerned, dialogue is more useful than confrontation. "The actuary replied Jiangshi.
"There is one person who should be able to mediate. I would like to ask that person to contact Morocco first.
If Morocco really has such a meaning, I think Mr. President is willing to talk to them. Ernest finally nodded.
"Oh? Minister Ernest has a candidate for this?" Lin Rui asked curiously.
"This person is a friend of mine and has a good personal relationship with me. His name is Aziz. He is an expert on Western Sahara and an advisor to the United Nations Mission in Western Sahara.
He used to be a professor at the University of Kadiriyad in Morocco and has a very close relationship with Morocco.
Many previous dialogues between us and Morocco have all started through him. If the Moroccan side really wants to solve the problem through negotiation, he should be able to know a little bit of inside information.
Perhaps through him, he can help us arrange an informal meeting. Let us avoid everyone’s attention with the representative of Morocco and make direct contact. "Ernest replied.
"I know this person. He is on the Security Council Mission in Western Sahara. An expert on West African security and Western Sahara." Jiang An nodded.
"But if we want to find him, we must go as soon as possible." Ernest replied, "Due to the further deterioration of the situation, the United Nations Mission in Western Sahara has reported to the Security Council to prepare to evacuate some personnel.
And this morning the Security Council has agreed, and Aziz is included in the list of people withdrawing from the Western Sahara Mission.
Even if there is still time, we better go to the station of the Western Sahara Mission. It would be better to intercept Aziz before leaving and let him mediate this matter. "
"No problem. We set off immediately." Lin Rui snapped his fingers. "Actuary, you stay, the headquarters can't do without you. The other O2 team members will go with me, and we will go to the camp of the Mission in Western Sahara."
In fact, the Western Sahara Mission has been established for a long time. Since 1985, the Secretary-General of the United Nations has cooperated with the OAU to initiate a mission of good offices, which led to the generation of settlement proposals.
On August 30, 1988, Morocco and the Polisario Front accepted this proposal. In 1990, the Security Council approved the Secretary-General’s report, which contained the full text of the settlement proposal and the Secretary-General’s outline plan for implementing these proposals.
On April 29, 1991, Security Council Resolution 690 decided to establish a United Nations Referendum Mission for Western Sahara in accordance with the Secretary-General’s report further detailing the implementation plan.
The plan provides for a transitional period, during which the Special Representative of the Secretary-General is solely responsible for all matters related to the referendum, allowing the people of Western Sahara to choose independence or integration into Morocco through a comprehensive vote.
The special representative is assisted by a comprehensive team composed of a deputy special representative and United Nations civilian and military personnel; the team is named the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees will implement a refugee repatriation program for Western Saharans who live outside the territory and are eligible to vote. The transition period begins when the ceasefire takes effect and ends when the results of the referendum are announced.
The original idea was that the civilian component of MINURSO would consist of approximately 800 to 1,000 personnel in accordance with the needs of each phase of the transition period. The military component consists of up to approximately 1,700 personnel, and the security team consists of approximately 300 police officers.
According to the settlement plan, the referendum on Western Sahara should be held in January 1992. But the result failed to proceed according to the original schedule.
On May 24, 1991, the Secretary-General proposed that the ceasefire should come into effect on September 6, and the two parties accepted this date.
However, in the following three months, it is clear that several tasks that should be completed before the ceasefire can not be completed before September 6. In addition, although the two sides have accepted the settlement plan earlier, there are still major differences between the two sides.
Therefore, one of the parties could not agree that the transitional period should begin on September 6, 1991.
At the same time, hostilities broke out in the territory, interrupting the informal ceasefire that had been in place for more than two years. Under this circumstance, the Secretary-General decided that the formal ceasefire should take effect on September 6 as originally scheduled. However, there is an understanding that the transitional period will begin as soon as the unfinished tasks are completed.
The Security Council supports the Secretary-General’s proposal to deploy 100 military observers in the territory during this delay period to verify the ceasefire and cessation of hostilities in certain areas. The number of military observers was later increased to 228, and certain logistics and administrative support personnel were also sent to the field.
At that time, the main functions of MINURSO were limited to verifying the ceasefire and cessation of hostilities. The mission’s headquarters is in Laayoune, with regional headquarters in the northern and southern parts of the territory, and a liaison office in Tindouf to maintain contact with the Algerian authorities and the Popular Front of Western Sahara.
No one thought that the United Nations Mission in Western Sahara, which was established in 1991, would stay there for so many years.
The peacekeepers changed from one crop to another. The issue of Western Sahara is still a mess, and the independence referendum is still far away. The two sides confronted each other for a long time.