EU regrets Russian veto on MINURSO and warns of instability
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Yabiladi
Addressing the UN General Assembly, European Union ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis regretted the end of MINURSO, the only UN mechanism tasked with monitoring the 1991 ceasefire in the Sahara. He said the abrupt halt increases the risk of miscalculation, and reaffirmed EU support for Resolution 2797, based on Morocco’s autonomy plan, according to Yabiladi.
The European Union on Tuesday 10 November deplored the Russian veto on renewing the mandate of MINURSO, saying it increases the risk of "miscalculation and instability" in the region. The EU ambassador to the UN, Stavros Lambrinidis, put forward this position before the General Assembly on behalf of the Union and its member states.
The EU stressed that MINURSO had monitored the ceasefire agreed in 1991 for more than three decades and, in its view, was an indispensable mechanism for preventing tensions. It criticised the sudden halt of the mission without an adequate transition period and called on the parties to avoid any escalation, to favour dialogue and to respect human rights and the protection of civilians.
Politically, the EU reaffirmed its support for the UN-led process based on the parameters of Security Council Resolution 2797, which takes Morocco’s autonomy plan as the basis for negotiation. Brussels called for a "fair, lasting and mutually acceptable" political solution.
The European position comes on the same day as the Russian veto against the renewal of MINURSO in the Sahara, after the mission’s mandate expired on 31 October, as announced on 30 October. It also follows statements by Morocco’s envoy to the UN, Omar Hilale, on the settlement of the Sahara conflict.
