The UN special envoy for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, has proposed for the first time a “partition” of the former Spanish colony into two territories, in such a way that Morocco retains control of the northern area and the south becomes considered an independent country.
This was proposed by de Mistura in a closed-door meeting of the UN Security Council in which he explained that this “compromise” would allow Rabat to implement the autonomy plan and, on the other, “guarantee the right of self-determination of the population of Western Sahara”, according to a transcript to which Europa Press has had access.
De Mistura has called for a “sense of urgency” and urged the parties to show “creativity” in seeking “mutually acceptable” solutions, as he has acknowledged that the historic conflict also has “implications” of a practical nature, as demonstrated by the recent rulings of the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) annulling the trade and fishing agreements with Morocco.
