Special Envoy in charge of the question of Western Sahara and the Maghreb countries at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Community Abroad, Amar Belani, recalled on Wednesday that in the eyes of the UN emissary, Staffan de Mistura, the UN process must remain “the most appropriate framework” for the settlement of the conflict in Western Sahara.
Belani indicated that the information reported by some Spanish and Moroccan media that talk about the alleged “complacency” of the United Nations Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, regarding the change of the Spanish government’s position on the Saharawi issue, “is focused on a manipulative act run by some official circles in Madrid to try to calm the uproar caused by the controversial decision taken by the head of government, Pedro Sanchez.”
In truth, says the diplomat, “the personal envoy, Staffan de Mistura, with whom we are in contact, is the first to say that he was very surprised by Spain’s change in position and that he fears thus the questioning of his own mission by anything that may complicate the UN process”.
This process must remain, in the eyes of the UN envoy, “the most appropriate framework for the settlement of the conflict which opposes the Polisario Front to the Kingdom of Morocco”, affirms Mr. Belani.
And to continue furthermore: “The circle close to the personal envoy, Staffan de Mistura underlines, for this specific case, the validity of the declaration made on January 20 by the spokesman of the United Nations, namely that any statement about the personal envoy’s position, or his activities that is not published by him or the spokesperson’s office, is too often a misrepresentation of the facts.”
He recalls that the UN spokesperson called in particular to “be wary of those who claim to know the position of Mr. De Mistura on the question of Western Sahara”.
