ALGIERA (AFP) — Polisario, the independence movement for Western Sahara, on Thursday welcomed the appointment by the United Nations of a new envoy to the region, the APS agency reported.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced Wednesday he plans to appoint US diplomat Christopher Ross as his new special envoy to the territory, which lies under Moroccan sovereignty.
"The Polisario Front assures Mr Christopher Ross of its cooperation and all help necessary" to finalise the "process of decolonisation of Western Sahara" in line with UN resolutions," the Algerian-backed movement said in a statement.
Ross, a former US ambassador to Syria and Algeria, will replace Peter van Walsum, whose mandate was not renewed after it expired last August 21.
Van Walsum was accused of favoring Morocco after stating that independence for Western Sahara was "an unrealistic option."
Morocco has offered a form of autonomy for the Western Sahara, while Polisario wants a referendum on self-determination that would include the option of full independence.
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