Morocco King in Rare Visit to W.Sahara before U.N. Vote
Morocco's King Mohamed VI made a rare visit Thursday to the Western Sahara, ahead of a U.N. Security Council vote on the disputed territory, an Agence France Presse correspondent said.
The U.N. Security Council is due to vote on April 23 to renew the mandate of its peacekeeping mission in the Western Sahara, which was annexed by Morocco in the 1970s.
Earlier this month the king warned U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon of "perilous options" in the Western Sahara, saying the U.N. role there should remain unchanged.
Rights groups have been pressing the United Nations to task the peacekeepers with human rights monitoring, echoing calls made by the United States last year.
Morocco lobbied against the U.S. last year and the resolution later passed called only for the "promotion and protection of human rights" in Western Sahara.
Morocco controls most of the territory and is highly sensitive to criticism of its policies there.
Mohamed's visit to Dakhla was the first by the king in years to the Western Sahara, and no official details were available on his program.
But an AFP correspondent said he was expected to attend the weekly Muslim Friday prayers in the city.
Source: Agence France Presse
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