This Wednesday, October 1st, Russia officially took over the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council for a one-month term. Following this transition, the UN unveiled the provisional agenda for the Council's activities, crafted in collaboration with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Concerning the Sahara issue, Moscow has outlined three significant events. On October 8th, a meeting of the Tactical Cooperation Committee, which includes countries contributing to MINURSO, is scheduled. Intensive discussions are set to begin on October 10th. «We will have consultations on MINURSO (UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara) with both Personal Envoy Staffan de Mistura and SRSG Alexander Ivanko briefing the Council», announced Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations during press statements. «On 29 October, we tentatively plan the adoption of two resolutions – on the mandate of MINURSO (UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara) and UNVMC (UN Verification Mission in Colombia). But the actual timeline will of course depend on the penholders». Regarding the Sahara, the responsibility for drafting the resolution has been assigned to the United States.
