Communique of the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara (Agreed with the Parties) (Manhasset III)

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Country/entity: Morocco
Western Sahara
Region: Middle East and North Africa
Agreement name: Communique of the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara (Agreed with the Parties) (Manhasset III)
Date: 9 Jan 2008
Agreement status: Multiparty signed/agreed
Interim arrangement: Yes
Agreement/conflict level: Intrastate/intrastate conflict
Western Sahara Conflict (1973 - 1991)
Conflict in Western Sahara began as an insurgency by the Polisario Front against Spanish colonization in 1973. Two years later, Spain withdrew from the territory. Following the annexation of the territory by Morocco and Mauritania in 1976, the insurgency continued. After proclaiming the establishment of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) in 1976, the Polisario Front succeeded in gaining recognition by several states, but was not admitted into the United Nations. Instead, the territory was annexed by Morocco and Mauritania, sparking a 16-year resistance by the Algerian-backed Polisario Front. Following a withdrawal by Mauritania in 1979, the conflict reached a stalemate through the 1980s and then reignited in 1989 until a ceasefire in 1991. At the time 80 per cent of the territory was under the de facto control of Morocco, while 20 per cent continued to be held by the SADR including the refugee camps along the Algerian border. Unrest has continued to erupt at intervals in from 1999-2004, 2005, 2010 and 2011. Attempts to solve the conflict have manifested in the form of the Baker Plan (2000) and the Moroccan Initiative (2006-2008).
Stage: Pre-negotiation/process
Conflict nature: Government/territory
Peace process: Morocco-Western Sahara peace process
Parties: Representatives of Morocco; Representatives of the Frente Polisario;
Third parties: -
Description: A short communique detailing the non-substantive discussions held between Representatives of Morocco and the Frente Polisario in Manhasset from 8-9 January 2008.

Agreement document: MA_080109_Communique of the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara (Agreed with the Parties) Manhasset III_1.pdf (opens in new tab) | Download PDF

Groups

Children/youth: No specific mention.
Disabled persons: No specific mention.
Elderly/age: No specific mention.
Migrant workers: No specific mention.
Racial/ethnic/national group: No specific mention.
Religious groups: No specific mention.
Indigenous people: No specific mention.
Other groups: No specific mention.
Refugees/displaced persons: No specific mention.
Social class: No specific mention.

Gender

Women, girls and gender: No specific mention.
Men and boys: No specific mention.
LGBTI: No specific mention.
Family: No specific mention.

State definition

Nature of state (general): No specific mention.
State configuration: No specific mention.
Self determination: No specific mention.
Referendum: No specific mention.
State symbols: No specific mention.
Independence/secession: No specific mention.
Accession/unification: No specific mention.
Border delimitation: No specific mention.
Cross-border provision: No specific mention.

Governance

Political institutions (new or reformed): No specific mention.
Elections: No specific mention.
Electoral commission: No specific mention.
Political parties reform: No specific mention.
Civil society: No specific mention.
Traditional/religious leaders: No specific mention.
Public administration: No specific mention.
Constitution: No specific mention.

Power sharing

Political power sharing: No specific mention.
Territorial power sharing: No specific mention.
Economic power sharing: No specific mention.
Military power sharing: No specific mention.

Human rights and equality

Human rights/RoL general: No specific mention.
Bill of rights/similar: No specific mention.
Treaty incorporation: No specific mention.
Civil and political rights: No specific mention.
Socio-economic rights: No specific mention.

Rights related issues

Citizenship: No specific mention.
Democracy: No specific mention.
Detention procedures: No specific mention.
Media and communication: No specific mention.
Mobility/access: No specific mention.
Protection measures: No specific mention.
Other: No specific mention.

Rights institutions

NHRI: No specific mention.
Regional or international human rights institutions: No specific mention.

Justice sector reform

Criminal justice and emergency law: No specific mention.
State of emergency provisions: No specific mention.
Judiciary and courts: No specific mention.
Prisons and detention: No specific mention.
Traditional Laws: No specific mention.

Socio-economic reconstruction

Development or socio-economic reconstruction: No specific mention.
National economic plan: No specific mention.
Natural resources: No specific mention.
International funds: No specific mention.
Business: No specific mention.
Taxation: No specific mention.
Banks: No specific mention.

Land, property and environment

Land reform/rights: No specific mention.
Pastoralist/nomadism rights: No specific mention.
Cultural heritage: No specific mention.
Environment: No specific mention.
Water or riparian rights or access: No specific mention.

Security sector

Security Guarantees: No specific mention.
Ceasefire: No specific mention.
Police: No specific mention.
Armed forces: No specific mention.
DDR: No specific mention.
Intelligence services: No specific mention.
Parastatal/rebel and opposition group forces: No specific mention.
Withdrawal of foreign forces: No specific mention.
Corruption: No specific mention.
Crime/organised crime: No specific mention.
Drugs: No specific mention.
Terrorism: No specific mention.

Transitional justice

Transitional justice general: No specific mention.
Amnesty/pardon: No specific mention.
Courts: No specific mention.
Mechanism: No specific mention.
Prisoner release: No specific mention.
Vetting: No specific mention.
Victims: No specific mention.
Missing persons: No specific mention.
Reparations: No specific mention.
Reconciliation: No specific mention.

Implementation

UN signatory: No specific mention.
Other international signatory: No specific mention.
Referendum for agreement: No specific mention.
International mission/force/similar: No specific mention.
Enforcement mechanism: No specific mention.
Related cases: No specific mention.
Source: UN Peacemaker
http://peacemaker.un.org/

Communique of the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara

(In Agreement with the Parties)

Greentree Estate 9 January 2008

Representatives of Morocco and the Frente Polisario met under United Nations auspices at the Greentree Estate on 8-9 January 2008, in continuation of their discussions aimed at finding a mutually acceptable solution to the impasse in the conflict on Western Sahara.

As was the case in the previous rounds of talks, representatives of the neighbouring countries, Algeria and Mauritania, were also present at the opening and closing sessions and were consulted separately during the talks.

The discussions focused on the implementation of Security Council resolutions 1754 (2007) and 1783 (2007).

During the two days of discussions, the Parties continued to express strong differences on the fundamental questions at stake.

At the same time, the Parties reiterated their commitment to show political will and negotiate in good faith, as called for by the Security Council, and agreed on the need to move the process into a more intensive and substantive phase of negotiations.

In addition, the Parties discussed but did not agree on confidence-building measures.

They also had preliminary discussions on thematic subjects such as administration, competencies and organs.

With regard to the next steps in the process, the Parties agreed to convene on 11-13 March 2008 at Greentree Estate, New York, for a fourth round of talks.

In order to help prepare the groundwork for those discussions, the parties welcomed my intention to visit the region shortly for in-depth consultations.