Renewed W. Sahara negotiations begin in New York

An eighth session of UN-led informal negotiations between Morocco and the Polisario Front on the Western Sahara conflict began Wednesday in a New York City suburb and will conclude Thursday.

"During the upcoming talks, the parties will, as previously agreed, further their discussion of their respective proposals on a settlement, including the issue of the electoral corps and mechanisms for self-determination," the UN said in an official statement.

The informal negotiations between Morocco and the Polisario are plagued by constant failure.

The UN Security Council adopted a resolution at the end of April for a one-year UN mission mandate in Western Sahara (Minurso) that will last until April 2012 and calls on Morocco and the Polisario to increase their negotiations.

Western Sahara is a former Spanish colony annexed to Morocco in 1975.

Rabat is proposing a large amount of autonomy for Western Sahara with a local government and a sovereign parliament. The Polisario Front, supported by Algeria, rejects the Moroccan plan and claims the people of Western Sahara have a right to self-determination through a referendum.

Source: ANTARA