Security Council expresses full support for Kohler's efforts

United Nations Security Council on Wednesday has expressed full support for the efforts of the UN Secretary General's Personal Envoy, Horst Kohler, for the relaunch of the peace process in Western Sahara.

"The members of the Security Council express their full support for the efforts of the UN envoy," said Security Council's President Karel Jan Gustaaf Van Oosterom (Netherlands) at the end of the first briefing with Kohler.

The UN body has welcomed the recent bilateral meetings between Kohler and the parties to the conflict and neighbouring countries with a view to relaunching the negotiation process with a new dynamic and a new spirit.

In this regard, the Security Council underlined the importance of maintaining a constructive commitment in order to advance the political process in Western Sahara.

It also expressed concern over the situation in El Guergarat, stressing the need to maintain the status quo in the buffer zone and to fully implement the resolution 2352 of 2017 on the extension of the mandate of the UN Mission for Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).

SPS