Paris and London seek compromise to extend MINURSO in the Sahara
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Yabiladi
France and the United Kingdom are seeking a Security Council compromise to extend MINURSO in the Sahara, whose mandate expires at midnight on 31 October. Their initiative follows Russia’s veto of a US draft, according to a source familiar with the matter cited by Yabiladi.
France and the United Kingdom are seeking a compromise at the UN Security Council to extend MINURSO, the UN mission tasked with monitoring the ceasefire in the Sahara, whose mandate expires on Saturday 31 October at midnight New York time. The initiative comes after Russia vetoed a US draft resolution, according to a source familiar with the matter cited by Yabiladi.
Paris and London want to avoid the mission’s definitive withdrawal, which could follow a prolonged deadlock at the Security Council. Yabiladi cites as precedents the end of UNPREDEP, the UN mission in Macedonia that was terminated in February 1999, and that of UNOMIG, the observation mission in Georgia whose mandate ended in July 2009 after Chinese and Russian vetoes.
The search for a compromise comes after the Russian veto of the US resolution on the Sahara on 30 October. It also follows the Security Council’s rejection of the Russian draft to extend MINURSO on the same day.
