Morocco “hopes to close” the Western Sahara dispute during a new round of talks led by the United Nations, a Moroccan representative told The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on Friday. Morocco will attend these talks with “goodwill” and hopes to “close the problem of 30 years,” according to a representative from the Moroccan mission to the United Nations. Morocco “hopes that the other parties will take this opportunity to resolve the conflict,” he added. The three-day talks begin on Monday in Manhasset in New York State. Two previous rounds of talks took place in June and in August of 2007, but the parties did not reach a solution. However, the Moroccan representative expressed optimism about the next round of negotiations. “The previous two talks did not fail. It is a very, very long process of building confidence. It is normal,” he said. Morocco, Algeria, the Polisario Front (Frente Polisario) , and Mauritania will participate in the discussions. The meetings will be led by Peter van Walsum, UN head Ban Ki-Moon's personal envoy to the Western Sahara.
