Morocco and POLISARIO urged to ensure success of settlement plan.

• Position: Frente Popular para la Liberacion de Saguia el-Hamra y de Rio de Oro

Security Council members on 31 August asked the parties to the Western Sahara conflict to abstain from any provocative behaviour endangering the settlement plan for self-determination of the people of the Territory.

The parties - Morocco and the Frente Popular para la Liberacion de Saguia el-Hamra y de Rio de Oro (POLISARIO) - were also asked to abide scrupulously by the cease-fire established on 6 September 1991.

Council members also hoped (S/24504) that both parties would extend their full cooperation to Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali and his Special Representative Sahabzada Yaqub-Khan in their efforts to achieve speedy progress in the implementation of the plan, which calls for UN organization and supervision, in cooperation with the Organization of African Unity, of a referendum for self-determination of the Territory's people, who would choose between independence and integration with Morocco.

Council members also strongly urged the parties themselves to make extraordinary efforts to ensure the plan's success and agreed with the Secretary - General's proposal to maintain the existing deployment and staffing of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), the strength of which, as of 31 August, was 365 military and civilian police personnel.

The Secretary - General reported (S/24464) on 20 August that he was encouraged by the progress achieved in his Special Representative's talks with the parties. "It remains to be seen, however, whether the parties are willing to go far enough in adjusting their positions so as to make it possible to advance in real and concrete terms towards the holding of a referendum", he added.

Obstacles to

referendum

The Secretary-General recalled that Mr. Yaqub-Khan had held talks with the two parties from mid-June to 2 July. He stated that, while fully cognizant that disagreements over the criteria for eligibility to vote in the referendum were the main obstacles to holding a referendum, the parties agreed that those talks would focus initially on the formulation of safeguards to protect the political, economic, social and other rights and liberties of the losing side in the referendum...