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Annan welcomes Western Sahara release of prisoners
United Nations, Sep 02: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan today welcomed the release of 243 prisoners held by the Polisaro front in Western Sahara.
United Nations, Sep 02: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan today welcomed the release of 243 prisoners held by the Polisaro front in Western Sahara.
"The Secretary-General expresses the hope that the Frente Polisario will release all remaining prisoners, in accordance with the relevant Security Council resolutions and in compliance with international humanitarian law," Annan's spokesman said in a statement.
Annan also "urges the parties to continue to cooperate with the ICRC to resolve the fate of all those unaccounted for since the beginning of the conflict."
The prisoners were released on Friday and repatriated to morocco by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
But the move drew sharp criticism from morocco, which called for the release of all prisoners of war.
More than 450 prisoners have been released in less than two years under pressure from the Spanish government. More than 1,300 have been freed since the beginning of the conflict in 1995, he statement added.
A Moroccan official told news agencies there are still 914 Moroccan soldiers held by the Polisario front.
The UN Security Council last month passed a resolution calling for a referendum on the future of the Western Sahara region, a former Spanish colony on the northwest coast of Africa.
Backed by Algeria, the Polisario front is seeking the territory's independence from Morocco, which annexed it in 1975.
Bureau Report
Annan also "urges the parties to continue to cooperate with the ICRC to resolve the fate of all those unaccounted for since the beginning of the conflict."
The prisoners were released on Friday and repatriated to morocco by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
But the move drew sharp criticism from morocco, which called for the release of all prisoners of war.
More than 450 prisoners have been released in less than two years under pressure from the Spanish government. More than 1,300 have been freed since the beginning of the conflict in 1995, he statement added.
A Moroccan official told news agencies there are still 914 Moroccan soldiers held by the Polisario front.
The UN Security Council last month passed a resolution calling for a referendum on the future of the Western Sahara region, a former Spanish colony on the northwest coast of Africa.
Backed by Algeria, the Polisario front is seeking the territory's independence from Morocco, which annexed it in 1975.
Bureau Report