MADRID (AFP) — The Polisario Front's demand for independence for the Western Sahara is not achievable even though it is backed by international law, a UN mediator said in an interview published Friday.
The Polisario, which is seeking a referendum on self-determination for the former Spanish colony, which was annexed by Morocco in 1975, has "international law on its side," mediator Peter van Walsum, a Dutch diplomat, told the newspaper El Pais.
"But the Security Council is not ready to exercise its authority ... and impose it," said the UN secretary general's envoy on the Western Sahara.
The UN Security Council "must respect international law, but it must also take into account the reality on the ground," as "30 years of weighty legal arguments of the Polisario have had no effect," van Walsum said.
In these circumstances, "the independence of the Western Sahara is not an achievable objective."
The Polisario, backed by Algeria, announced on July 29 it was ready to enter direct negotiations with Morocco over the Western Sahara but wanted van Walsum replaced, accusing him of bias toward Rabat.
The two sides agreed to a truce in 1991 under the auspices of the United Nations.
Talks in the New York state town of Manhasset have been going on since June 2007. The fourth round of talks ended last March without success, but a date for the fifth round has not been set.
Rabat has offered a form of autonomy for the territory under Moroccan sovereignty, while the Polisario Front want a referendum on self-determination.
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