UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) – "Members of the Security Council discussed the issue of the departure earlier this month of 73 personnel from MINURSO’s civilian staff. Members of the Security Council have taken due note of the Secretariat’s briefing on the impact that the continuation of this situation could have on the effective functioning of the mission," the Council's president for March, Angola's Ambassador Ismael Gaspar Martins, said in a Thursday statement.
"Members of the Security Council stressed the importance of addressing in a constructive, comprehensive and cooperative manner circumstances that led to the current situation so that MINURSO may resume its full capacity to carry out its mandate as contained in several Security Council resolutions," the Security Council stressed in its Thursday statement.
Deputy Spokesman for the UN secretary-general Farhan Haq said on Monday that MINURSO can now only perform a small number of its initial tasks, adding that a total withdrawal of UN staff could lead to a greater risk of tensions and even renew the regional conflict.
The United Nations has been trying to negotiate a lasting political solution for the Western Sahara crisis that would provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, after Morocco claimed control of the former Spanish colony in 1975.
