UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - Polisario Front leader Mohammed Abdelaziz on Tuesday called on UN chief Ban Ki-moon to visit Western Sahara to bolster human rights in the disputed territory.
With UN-brokered talks between the Moroccan government and the Polisario Front deadlocked, there have been violent clashes between Moroccan security forces and Saharawi demonstrators in recent weeks.
Abdelaziz, secretary general of the separatist Polisario, urged Ban to visit the territory during a meeting on Monday.
"We invited the secretary general to give more interest to the issue of Western Sahara," Abdelaziz told reporters.
"A visit by him to the territory will be seen as an encouragement to peace efforts and it could be a contribution to easing tensions," said the Polisario chief, who blamed the renewed demonstrations on "Moroccan repression".
Morocco has resisted efforts for the UN Security Council to add human rights monitoring to the mandate of the UN mission in Western Sahara. Polisario and human rights groups accuse Moroccan forces of carrying out abuses.
Morocco started occupying Western Sahara in 1975 after Spain withdrew. The Polisario launched a war for a separate state until a UN-brokered ceasefire in 1991. Morocco's occupation is not recognized internationally. While UN resolutions call for a self-determination referendum in Western Sahara, Morocco has only offered greater autonomy.
UN envoy Christopher Ross organized several rounds of informal talks but these were called off last year and Morocco briefly said it had no "confidence" in Ross. But the envoy is now seeking to renew the contacts.
The UN secretary general "reiterated the commitment of the United Nations to assisting Morocco and the Frente Polisario to negotiate a solution to their long-standing dispute," said UN spokesman Martin Nesirky.
"The secretary general underlined his continued strong interest in respect for human rights in Western Sahara and in the refugee camps" controlled by the Polisario, said Nesirky.
"He also expressed his concern over the increasing frustration and vulnerability that the absence of a settlement and the instability of the Sahel region have produced among young people in the refugee camps," he added.
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