UN to push for Western Sahara negotiations

The UN Security Council is set to push for more intensive negotiations to settle the decades-old dispute over Western Sahara, at the centre of tensions between Morocco and African countries.
A draft resolution under discussion this week extends the mandate of the MINURSO peace mission for a year and calls for a political solution, diplomats said.
But the council will not amend MINURSO’s mandate to include human rights monitoring as demanded by the African Union, according to the draft resolution obtained by AFP on Tuesday.
The council is due on Wednesday to hear a closed-door briefing by UN envoy for Western Sahara Christopher Ross and the draft resolution is due to come up for a vote next Tuesday.
It remains unclear if the measure due to be discussed in meetings with all 15 members later this week will gain support from the three African countries at the council.