The Polisario Front announced Sunday that «at the request of the United Nations Secretary-General», Brahim Ghali met Antonio Guterres, in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, which is hosting the 33rd edition of the African Union Summit. The official agency of the separatist movement has argued that Ghali told Guterres that the «Sahrawi people have lost their confidence in the UN», stressing that «the Sahrawi party will not take part in any process that does not respect the inalienable right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination and independence». For his part, the UN secretary-general «expressed the commitment of the UN to work to advance the political process in Western Sahara, expressing his hope to appoint a personal envoy in the shortest possible time». The meeting was attended by several UN officials, including John Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, at the United Nations as well as the permanent representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to the African Union and Polisario officials.
