On the eve of his briefing to the Security Council, Staffan de Mistura has submitted a report to the UN Secretary-General detailing his latest efforts to restart negotiations between the parties involved. Tomorrow, during a closed session, the UN mediator will orally present a summary of his observations on diplomatic developments in the Sahara since the adoption of Resolution 2703 on October 30, 2023. The members of the UN executive body will also review Antonio Guterres' report on October 16. As the October deadline approaches, the UN Secretary-General's personal envoy for Western Sahara has intensified his meetings with the involved parties. On the sidelines of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September in New York, De Mistura met successively with representatives from Morocco, Mauritania, the Polisario, and Algeria. On October 3, he traveled to the Tindouf camps to meet with the leader of the Polisario. On November 1, Staffan de Mistura will mark the third anniversary of his appointment as the UN Secretary-General's personal envoy for Western Sahara, but he has yet to bring the parties together in a formal negotiating format. On October 30, the Security Council is expected to adopt a new resolution extending MINURSO's mandate in the Sahara for another year.
