UN / WESTERN SAHARA

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With three abstentions, the Security Council adopted a resolution that extends the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) for six months and expresses full support for the efforts of the Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy to restart negotiations before the end of the year. UNIFEED
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STORY: UN / WESTERN SAHARA
TRT: 02:28
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / RUSSIAN / NATS

DATELINE: 31 OCTOBER 2018, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

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Shotlist

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior UN headquarters

31 OCTOBER 2018, NEW YORK CITY

2. Various shots, Security Council vote
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Jonathan Cohen, Deputy Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations:
“First, there cannot be any more business as usual on Western Sahara. Second, we must lend our full support to Personal Envoy Köhler in his efforts to achieve a just, lasting, and mutual acceptable political solution that will provide for the self determination of the people of Western Sahara.”
4. Med shot, delegates
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Jonathan Cohen, Deputy Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations:
“However, we caution against any notion that we’ve crossed the finish line. The political process is only beginning. We believe that direct negotiations under UN leadership offer a real opportunity to achieve a mutually acceptable solution, and the upcoming meeting in Geneva will be a critical first step in this process. The parties must remain committed to negotiations at the December roundtable and throughout to a successful conclusion.”
6. Med shot, delegates
7. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Vassily Nebenzia, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations:
“Attempts to revise the basis of the Western Saharan settlement as already agreed are the main reason why we cannot support the American draft. We did not block the resolution because it extends the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, which is important for regional stability. We support and assist MINURSO, including through Russian military observers as part of its contingent, but voting for this resolution would mean sacrificing our principled position in support of the existing basis of the settlement.”
8. Wide shot, Council
9. Wide shot, Ambassador Omar Hilale of Morocco walks up to the podium
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Omar Hilale, Permanent Representative of Morocco to the United Nations:
“MINURSO survived several years without a political process. And we have to delink the two issues. Political process is something, the mandate of the MINURSO is something. The MINURSO’s mandate is in the field to supervise and monitor the ceasefire and to help with CBMs, and demining. Political process, of course, doesn’t depend on the MINURSO, it doesn’t depend on what’s going on in the field. It depends on the political will of all the parties.”
11. Pan right, Hilale walks away

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Storyline

With three abstentions, the Security Council today (31 Oct) adopted a resolution that extends the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) for six months and expresses full support for the efforts of the Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy to restart negotiations before the end of the year.

The resolution, which was sponsored by the United States received 12 votes in favour. The Russian Federation, Ethiopia and Bolivia abstained.

US Ambassador Jonathan Cohen told the Council that “there cannot be any more business as usual on Western Sahara, and called for “full support” to the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara, Horst Köhler, “in his efforts to achieve a just, lasting, and mutual acceptable political solution that will provide for the self determination of the people of Western Sahara.”

Cohen cautioned against “any notion that we’ve crossed the finish line.”
He said “the political process is only beginning. We believe that direct negotiations under UN leadership offer a real opportunity to achieve a mutually acceptable solution, and the upcoming meeting in Geneva will be a critical first step in this process. The parties must remain committed to negotiations at the December roundtable and throughout to a successful conclusion.”

For his part, Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said that “attempts to revise the basis of the Western Saharan settlement as already agreed are the main reason why we cannot support the American draft.”

He said, “we did not block the resolution because it extends the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, which is important for regional stability” but added that “voting for this resolution would mean sacrificing our principled position in support of the existing basis of the settlement.”

Originally established in 1991, in accordance with settlement proposals accepted in 1988 by Morocco and the Frente Polisario movement, MINURSO was tasked with the monitoring of the ceasefire; overseeing the exchange of prisoners of war; repatriation of refugees; and the eventual organization of a free and fair referendum in which the people of Western Sahara would choose between independence and integration with Morocco.

While the organization of the referendum has not been possible to date, other requirements of the mandate have been pursued successfully and the peacekeeping mission continues to monitor the ceasefire, conduct mine clearance operations, and supports confidence building measures.

MINURSO has also been providing assistance to irregular migrants as well as humanitarian assistance in case of natural disasters.

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UNIFEED
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2296096