Voter identification process continues.

• Position: Western Sahara

The Security Council on 29 July commended the work of the Identification Commission of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), which was processing more than 75,000 voter application forms that had been received.

In its statement (S/PRST/1994/39), the Council welcomed the goodwill shown thus far by the parties and urged them to continue to cooperate with the Secretary-General and MINURSO to ensure the earliest possible implementation of the settlement plan.

Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali had proposed a revised timetable for the organization of the referendum for self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, scheduled to take place on 14 February 1995.

According to the Secretary-General's report of 12 July (S/1994/819), the groundwork for the voter identification process had been completed, but it could not start the operation because of Morocco's concerns over the choice of two officials of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) as observers. Morocco had questioned the impartiality of OAU and stated that by recognizing the so-called Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), OAU had already prejudged the outcome of the referendum.

Morocco had also maintained that OAU could not participate in the organization of the referendum if it persisted in recognizing the SADR, the report stated. On the other hand, the Frente Popular...