Morocco has requested that the United Nations remove 84 of its staff members from the Western Sahara mission after U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon made remarks deemed unacceptable about the territory durign his visit to North Africa, according to an official Moroccan source on Thursday.
The source added that the removal does not include peacekeeping and miliary components of the mission. A visit by Ban to Morocco is not planned, the source said.
Ban announced that he urged Morocco and the Polisario Front to resume negotiations.
A guerrilla war over the disputed Western Sahara erupted after Morocco took control over most of the region in 1975. The year 1991 saw a ceasefire end the hostilities however both parties have been unable to forge an agreement since then.
