Sahara: Staffan de Mistura arrives in Laayoune ahead of UNSC meeting

UN Sahara envoy Staffan de Mistura arrived on Monday in Laayoune, capital of the Moroccan Sahara, in a bid to advance the UN-led political process on the Sahara issue.

The Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary General “is looking forward to conducting visits in the region and meetings, engaging all concerned ahead of the issuance of the report of the Secretary-General to the Security Council in October,” said the UN in a statement.

Mr. Staffan de Mistura “looks forward to further deepening consultations with all concerned on the prospects of constructively advancing the political process on Western Sahara in the course of these regional engagements,” added the UN document.

The Personal Envoy is planning to report on his visits and engagements to the Secretary-General as well as to the Security Council in October, underlined the UN.

De Mistura’s trip comes few days after the visit paid by U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary Josh Harris to Morocco and Algeria “to consult on regional security and reaffirm full U.S. support for the UN political process for Sahara,” according to a statement released by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau for Eastern Affairs.

The U.S. official urged Algeria and the Polisario to support UN Sahara envoy in a spirit of realism and compromise to achieve an enduring political solution to the Sahara issue.