The United Nations has extended by two months its mission to Western Sahara to continue working towards resolving the dispute over the territory between Morocco and the Algeria-backed Polisario Front.

The Security Council's decision follows a report by U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan that described the future of the peace process as bleak.

Morocco and the Polisario Front agreed to a cease-fire in 1991 calling for a referendum on Western Sahara's future. The two sides had fought over the phosphate-rich territory since Morocco took control of it in 1976.

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika visited the western city of Tindouf, the unofficial headquarters of Polisario, to mark the 26th anniversary of the self-styled Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic in Western Sahara.

Some information for this report provided by AFP.

Email this article to a friend
Printer Friendly Version