(MENAFN- Morocco World News) The Security Council has adopted on Friday morning in New York the draft resolution to renew the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Organization of a Referendum in the Western Sahara known by its French acronym as MINURSO.
Unlike in previous resolutions this year's resolution did not enjoy the consensus of the 15-member body. The resolution received 10 votes in favor two against and three abstentions. Uruguay and Venezuela which are among the staunchest of Algeria and the Polisario voted against while Russia Angola and New Zealand abstained.
The resolution decides to renew MINURSO's mandate of an additional period of one year until April 30 2017.
The new resolution requests the Secretary General to brief the Council within 90 days on whether MINURSO has returned to full functionality and expresses its intention 'if MINURSO has not achieved full functionality to consider how best to facilitate achievement of this goal.' To the dismay of Algeria and Polisario's supporters the resolution provides for no punitive or coercive measures against Morocco in case it does not allow the return of MINURSO's civilian component. Analysts say the final version of the resolution is in favor of Morocco as it does not set any time frame for the return of MINURSO's civilian component and leaves the door open to negotiations between Morocco and the United Nations. 'Given the context of the past six weeks which has been marred by unprecedented tension between Morocco and the UN Secretariat Morocco has played its hand very well' a UN expert who asked to speak on the condition of anonymity told Morocco World News. 'Not only the resolution provides for not punitive measures against Morocco but it also allows it more time until the election of a new Secretary General next year' the same source said.
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