THE United Nations (UN) Security Council expressed concern on Thursday over an escalating row with Morocco over Western Sahara, but did not ask Rabat to drop plans to impose a drastic cut in staff at the UN mission in the disputed territory.Morocco has ordered 84 staffers from the UN’s Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (Minurso) to leave in the coming days, a move the UN says will cripple the mission that was set up in 1991 after a ceasefire was reached."The council has expressed serious concerns," Angolan ambassador Ismael Gaspar Martins, who holds March’s council presidency, told reporters after a closed-door meeting."We have decided that we should all look bilaterally at continuing our engagement to make sure that the situation is stabilised when it comes to the work of that mission, mandated by the Security Council," he said.There was no appeal to Morocco to reverse its decision, nor was there any expression of support for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon who has been...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.