Manhasset, New York — The next informal talks on the Sahara will take place after the fall session of the U.N. General Assembly, said Thursday the U.N. Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Christopher Ross, at the end of the eighth round of informal talks held in Manhasset.
“By the end of the meeting, each party continued to reject the proposal of the other as a sole basis for future negotiations while reiterating their will to work together in order to find a political solution in accordance with the relevant U.N. security council’s resolutions,” Ross told the press.
The parties discussed the new ideas put forward by the Secretary-General in his latest report on the Sahara issue, which was endorsed by the Security Council, he said.
On this occasion, he said, the parties “explored ways to include respected members of a wide cross-section” of the population of the Sahara to the ongoing process of negotiation.
“They also started a discussion which will be deepened in the coming months on issues of governance, such as education, environment and health,” added Ross.
The parties notably “started a preliminary discussion on the topic of natural resources within the framework of reflection proposed by the United Nations,” said Ross, stressing that “the parties decided to work with U.N. in the coming months on issues of natural resources and mining to deepen discussion within the framework of negotiations.”
Regarding the confidence-building measure, Ross said “the parties and the neighbouring States reiterated their support for the proper implementation plan of action of 2004 and the family visits by road.”
