The African Union
1. UN Security Council resolution 690 of 29 April 1991, which endorsed the Settlement Plan and established MINURSO, also mandated the organization and supervision of the referendum for self-determination to be undertaken “in cooperation with the Organization of African Unity”.
2. The cease-fire came into effect on 6 September 1991 and subsequently a great deal of work had been accomplished towards the implementation of the processes in the search for a resolution to the dispute. A case in point is the work done in identifying potential voters for the referendum during which the OAU had played a significant role.
3. OAU observers have been present at all the voter identification centres in the Territory, in Morocco, Algeria and Mauritania, witnessing the operation by the Identification Commission to determine the eligibility of Sahrawi applicants that would qualify to participate in the projected referendum. OAU observers, with the consent of the two Parties, had at times, interceded with Party representatives to promote understanding and harmony during occasions where procedural and interpretational arguments had led to work stoppages at identification centers thus playing constructive roles that helped overcome stalemates and move the peace process forward.
4. As a partner in the peace process, the African Union today continues to be seized of the matter, through its cooperation with MINURSO on the ground, in Laayoune. The African Union has a representational office in MINURSO, headed by Ambassador Yilma Tadesse (Ethiopia), Senior Representative of the AU Chairperson.
5. The AU ardently hopes that the dispute would soon find a peaceful resolution based on the many decisions of the United Nations on the exercise of the right of self-determination by the people of Western Sahara, so that peace can be ensured and understanding and cooperation can prevail among all the people of the Maghreb region.