The UN Security Council voted on 30 October on two draft resolutions concerning the Western Sahara referendum mission (MINURSO), and neither was adopted. China abstained on the US draft and said it regretted that a vote was forced; the mission's mandate was due to expire on 31 October.
According to Xinhua and People's Daily Online, the Security Council voted on two draft resolutions on Western Sahara on 30 October, New York time. One was drafted by the United States and one by Russia, and neither met the requirements for adoption. The mission's current mandate was scheduled to end on 31 October.
광고 문의 · 300×250Based on the results relayed by The Paper, the US draft, which would have substantially changed the mission's mandate, won 11 votes in favour but was vetoed by Russia, while China, Pakistan and Somalia abstained. Russia's draft, which would have extended the mission without changing its mandate, got three votes in favour and 11 abstentions, with the United States voting against. The specific provisions of either draft could not be confirmed from the reports consulted.
Ambassador Fu Cong: departure from the existing framework, too little time
Xinhua reported that China's UN ambassador Fu Cong said after the vote that Beijing supports a one-year extension of the mission and credits it with helping keep the region stable and protecting civilians. The US draft, he said, did not continue the Council's existing framework and did not adequately balance the concerns of the parties.
Fu said the draft appeared designed to pressure one side into accepting a predetermined negotiating outcome, and he criticised the penholder, the United States, for not allowing enough time for consultations and for pushing a vote despite deep divisions among members. China's position is that the mission's extension should not become a tool of political pressure and that a settlement should be sought through UN-led dialogue and negotiation.
The Polisario reaction and open questions
According to The Paper, Sidi Omar of the Polisario Front, which seeks independence for Western Sahara, welcomed the failure of the US draft and thanked Russia for its veto and Pakistan, China and Somalia for abstaining. The reports reviewed did not include statements from the United States, Russia, Morocco or Algeria after the vote.
The dispute dates to Spain's withdrawal in 1975, followed by fighting between Morocco and the Polisario Front, a 1991 ceasefire and the creation of the mission. What happens to the mission's status once its mandate lapses could not be confirmed from these reports, so attention turns to whether the Council will try again.