| UN Security Council Resolution 725 | |
|---|---|
 Western Sahara region | |
| Date | 31 December 1991 |
| Meeting no. | 3,025 |
| Code | S/RES/725 (Document) |
| Subject | Western Sahara |
Voting summary | 15 voted for None voted against None abstained |
| Result | Adopted |
| Security Council composition | |
Permanent members | |
Non-permanent members | |
United Nations Security Council resolution 725, adopted unanimously on 31 December 1991, after recalling resolutions 621 (1988), 658 (1990) and 690 (1991) and noting a report by the Secretary-General on the situation in Western Sahara, the Council welcomed the report, supporting his efforts and those of the Organisation of African Unity in the region.
United Nations Security Council resolution 621, adopted unanimously on 20 September 1988, after hearing a joint report by the Secretary-General and Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the Council noted an agreement between Morocco and the Frente Polisario on 30 August 1988 to the joint proposals by the Secretary-General and OAU.
United Nations Security Council resolution 658, adopted unanimously on 27 June 1990, after recalling Resolution 621 (1988) and noting a report by the Secretary-General on the situation in Western Sahara, the Council approved the Secretary-General's recommendations regarding a settlement of the issue.
United Nations Security Council resolution 690, adopted unanimously on 29 April 1991, after recalling resolutions 621 (1988) and 658 (1990) and noting a report by the Secretary-General on the situation in Western Sahara, the Council approved the report and decided to establish the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) in accordance with the Secretary-General's recommendations. The Mission was to implement the Settlement Plan for a referendum of self-determination for the people of Western Sahara.
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The resolution called for Morocco and Polisario Front to co-operate with the Secretary-General in the implementation of the Settlement Plan.
Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a sovereign state located in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Morocco claims the areas of Ceuta, Melilla and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera, all of them under Spanish jurisdiction. The capital is Rabat and the largest city Casablanca. Morocco spans an area of 710,850 km2 (274,460 sq mi) and has a population of over 35 million.
The Polisario Front, Frente Polisario, FRELISARIO or simply POLISARIO, from the Spanish abbreviation of Frente Popular de Liberación de Saguía el Hamra y Río de Oro, is a Sahrawi rebel national liberation movement aiming to end Moroccan presence in the Western Sahara. It is an observer member of the Socialist International. The United Nations considers the Polisario Front to be the legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people and maintains that the Sahrawis have a right to self-determination. The Polisario Front is outlawed in the parts of Western Sahara under Moroccan control, and it is illegal to raise its party flag there.
The Settlement Plan was an agreement between the ethnically Saharawi Polisario Front and Morocco on the organization of a referendum, which would constitute an expression of self-determination for the people of Western Sahara, leading either to full independence, or integration with the Kingdom of Morocco. It resulted in a cease-fire which remains effective to this day, and the establishment of the MINURSO peace force to oversee it and to organize the referendum. The referendum never occurred.
The report noted the slow progress in the implementation of prior resolutions, particularly with regard to organising the referendum in the Western Sahara. Both parties had acknowledged the Settlement Plan despite some differences, however an informal ceasefire was violated and hostilities broke out. It also stated that the presence of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara had significantly calmed tensions and there would be delay for further consultations on a settlement of the issue. [1] Some members of the Council, such as the United States, did not feel the report and its recommendations, such as on voter eligibility, reflected what the parties had previously agreed, hence Resolution 725 "welcomed" but did not "approve" his report. [2]
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is invited to vote on a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new law. In some countries, it is synonymous with a plebiscite or a vote on a ballot question.
A ceasefire, also spelled cease fire, is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be declared as part of a formal treaty, but they have also been called as part of an informal understanding between opposing forces.
The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara is the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara, established in 1991 under United Nations Security Council Resolution 690 as part of the Settlement Plan, which had paved way for a cease-fire in the conflict between Morocco and the Polisario Front over the contested territory of Western Sahara.
