Identification of voters suspended as stalemate is reported.

• Position: Western Sahara

Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali on 8 May informed the Security Council that all efforts to resume the identification of potential voters in Western Sahara had failed and that he was recommending that "the process be suspended until such time as the parties provide convincing evidence that they are fully committed to resuming it without further obstacles".

Mr. Boutros-Ghali attributed the stalemate to the position of the two parties--the Government of Morocco and the Frente Popular pare la Liberacion de Saguia el-Hamra y Rio de Oro (POLISARIO). He said the remaining members of the Identification Commission would leave the mission area at the end of May 1996, and their records would be transferred to the UN Office at Geneva for safe keeping.

The Secretary-General also proposed an extension of the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) for a period of six months, with a reduction in the strength of its military component by 20 per cent from 288 to 230 personnel.

Phased withdrawal

Earlier, the Council on 31 January had extended MINURSO's mandate until 31 May, at the same time asking the Secretary-General to submit a detailed programme for its phased withdrawal in the absence of meaningful progress towards completion of the Settlement Plan.

In unanimously adopting resolution 1042 (1996), the Council also expressed deep concern about the stalemate hindering the identification process and the consequent lack of progress towards the Plan's completion.

The Council called on the two parties to cooperate with the Secretary-General and MINURSO in resuming the identification process and to consider additional ways to create confidence between themselves and facilitate the Plan's implementation.

The Settlement Plan, which was accepted by the two parties on 30 August 1988 and approved by the Council on 27 June 1990 in its resolution 658 (1990), entails the holding of a referendum without military or administrative restraints, to enable the people of Western Sahara to choose between independence and integration-with Morocco.

Secretary-General's report

Secretary-General Boutros-Ghali, in his 19 January report (S/1995/43 and Corr.1), proposed two options. The first would be to extend MINURSO's mandate until 31 May, thus allowing time for the resumption of the identification process and an opportunity to test the political will of the parties. If at any time before 31 May there was little or no improvement in the...