We commend the parties for engaging in a third round of informal talks this week hosted in New York by the U.N. Secretary General’s Personal Envoy for Western Sahara Christopher Ross. We also welcome the progress the parties made on confidence-building measures. They agreed to resume family visits by air without delay on the basis of strict application of the agreed Plan of Action of 2004 and to accelerate the inauguration of family visits by road. The parties also agreed to meet again in December and subsequently early next year. We urge the parties to engage seriously with each other and with Special Envoy Ross to work toward a peaceful, sustainable and mutually-agreed solution to the Western Sahara conflict.
