• Most Popular
  • Most Shared

Polisario says risk of war if W.Sahara talks fail

Fri Dec 21, 2007 7:09am EST

ALGIERS, Dec 21 (Reuters) - War may break out again in Western Sahara if U.N.-sponsored talks between Morocco and the Polisario Front independence movement fail, Polisario said on Friday.

A third round of U.N.-brokered talks to resolve Africa's longest-running territorial dispute are set for Jan. 7-9 in Manhasset, New York.

If they fail, "the Moroccan government will assume the full consequences that would result from the failure of the negotiating process and notably the resumption of military hostilities", the Algerian official news agency APS quoted a Polisario statement as saying.

Peacekeepers have watched over Western Sahara since 1991 when the United Nations brokered a ceasefire to end a guerrilla war between independence movement Polisario Front and Morocco, which annexed the resource-rich northwest African territory in 1975.

The ceasefire terms included holding a referendum to let the inhabitants decide their future but the vote has still not happened.


More from Reuters

Joint Terminal Attack Controller SSgt Clinton J. Herbison, a U.S. Airman from the 817 Expeditionary Air Support Operations Squadron (EASOS) takes a break during a night mission near Honaker Miracle camp at the Pesh valley of Kunar Province August 12, 2009. Credit: REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Pictures of the Year

A look at the best photos of 2009.  Slideshow 

    PICTURES
    The Dalai Lama jokes with a nasal spray after being asked his opinion on the swine flu during a press conference after his first lecture in Lausanne, Switzerland, August 4, 2009. REUTERS/ Valentin Flauraud

    What a wacky year it's been...

    Um, what's up the Dalai Lama's nose? "Oddly Enough" editor Bob Basler rounds up the goofiest photos of the year.  Full Article 

    Oddly Enough
    A caution sign is seen next to a stock board at the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) in Sydney September 5, 2008. REUTERS/Daniel Munoz
    Political Risk in 2010:

    Don't say we didn't warn you

    With the financial crisis (mostly) in the past, U.S. investors are eying a fresh start to the coming year. Here's a look at what speedbumps lie ahead.  Full Article 

    Global Markets