UN peacekeeping chief to visit Morocco, Western Sahara, Algeria
Xinhua, October 20, 2016 Adjust font size:
UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous will travel to Morocco, Western Sahara and an Algerian province called Tindouf on Oct. 21-25 to visit the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), a UN spokesman said here Wednesday.
"The visit will be an opportunity for him to speak to the parties to the conflict and encourage their adherence to the terms and the spirit of the ceasefire agreement," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here.
"In Laayoune, Mr. Ladsous will assess the situation on the ground and evaluate the progress towards the return of the Mission to full functionality."
During the course of the visit, he is also expected to visit Guerguerat, the site of recent increased tensions between Morocco and the Frente Polisario, to evaluate the situation there, and assess the difficult conditions facing UN military observers in the location, he said.
Ladsous will then travel to Paris on Oct. 26 to participate in a ministerial conference on peacekeeping in Francophone countries, the spokesman added. Endit