| | In the 18 months since the last briefing on Western Sahara (ROAPE 53), a new United Nations (UN) Representative for the territory has been appointed, shuttle diplomacy has been undertaken, and the two parties, Morocco and the Polisario Front, have held unprecedented direct negotiations in the West Sahara capital of El-Ayoun. Nevertheless, if cease-fire violations, deteriorating human rights, 'insider trading' , and chicanery are indications, no means have been spared in transforming the UN peace plan for Western Sahara into the charade of a Moroccan election. Thus, chances for a free and fair referendum for the Sahrawi people, originally scheduled for January 1992, seem quite remote as the United Nations skews the process towards Morocco's favour. The conflict in Western Sahara presented an opportunity to demonstrate the neutrality of the United Nations and its ability to be an arbiter in the new world order. Sadly, under the helm of UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, this chance has been lost. |
