New UN Sahara envoy receives approval from both sides

Morocco has given its green light for the appointment of former German President, Horst Kohler, as the new Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the Sahara.

Kohler will succeed US diplomat, Christopher Ross, according to a Moroccan diplomatic source.

According to the same source, Morocco informed the UN secretary-general in mid-May of its approval of the appointment of Kohler.

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Kohler, who also received approval of the Polisario front last April, will have his name submitted for the approval of the UN Security Council before he officially takes office.

By opting for Kohler, the new UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, upholds the principle of rotation of the position of the Sahara personal envoy between the US and Europe.

Kohler’s new position will inject new hopes in the negotiation process that has been marred by a lack of progress during the time of his predecessor.

Kohler served on the UN Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda between 2012 and 2013.