In January, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon nominated Christopher Ross as the UN’s Special Envoy in the Western Sahara. Ross will act as mediator in the issue between Moroccans and the Polisario Front. Since the mandate of Dutch envoy, Peter Van Walsum, expired last August, the UN had no Special Envoy in the Western Sahara. The Polisario Front, the nationalist, pro-independence, political and armed movement for the Western Sahara, welcomed the new appointment, declaring its high expectations in a statement: "The Polisario Front assures Mr. Christopher Ross of its cooperation and all help necessary to finalize the process of decolonization of Western Sahara in line with UN resolutions". The new envoy also seems to please Morocco.
Since the 1991 ceasefire, no solution has been found to end the conflict between the Polisario Front and Morocco. To reach a durable political solution and guarantee the Western Sahara’s self-determination, the American diplomat will have to work with both parties and neighboring states. Resolution 1813, adopted by the Security Council, and anterior resolutions will no doubt be the foundations of such work.