"I'm encouraged," Köehler told reporters following closed consultations with members of the Security Council.

Before the meeting, French ambassador to the United Nations, Francois Delattre, said that “the recent visit of the UN Secretary General Personal Envoy for the Sahara, Horst Köhler, to the region is part of the new impetus "for the settlement of this dispute”.

"Regarding the Sahara issue, we are going to have important consultations, this is the first time that Mr. Köehler, the new personal envoy of the Secretary-General, is going to brief the Security Council," he told reporters before the start of meetings and consultations of the UN Security Council.

"We think this is important (...) and that his recent visit to the region is part of the new impetus taking place in this dispute, and that we welcome very favorably," the French diplomat pointed out.

For his part, the Italian Ambassador to the UN, Sebastiano Cardi, whose country chairs the Security Council for the month of November, told the press that Köehler, who has just wrapped up a tour in the region, will explain to the Security Council "his ideas and plans following his meetings in the region.”

In his turn, Sweden’s ambassador to the UN, whose country is currently a non-permanent member of the Security Council, said that he "strongly supports a reinvigoration of the settlement process" of the Sahara issue.

"We look forward to meeting with the new personal envoy at his first briefing to the Council, we strongly support a reinvigoration of this process and we will try to bring a new dynamic to it," he told reporters.

News and events on Western Sahara issue / CORCAS