§ Mr. LepperTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment the Government have made of the current state of voter identification being undertaken by the United Nations Mission for a Referendum in Western Sahara; and what plans he has to provide a UK military contingent or other logistical support to MINURSO. [41773]
§ Mr. FatchettWe are satisfied with progress made by MINURSO since the resumption of the Voter Identification Process in December 1997. The UN Secretary General reported on 13 April that 101,772 applicants have been identified, that fewer than 60,000 remain to be convoked, but the issue of the disputed tribes remains unresolved. We agree with the assessment of the UN Special Representative, Mr. Charles Dunbar, that delays mean it is possible that the Referendum will take place in 1999 rather than as originally scheduled on 7 December 1998.
We have no current plans to contribute personnel or logistical support to MINURSO at the current time.
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