The United Nations Secretariat declined to comment on Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's personal stance regarding Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara on Monday evening. During his November 3 press briefing, Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq responded cautiously, saying, «We are going to abide by the language of the resolution, and the lead on that is taken». Haq nonetheless reaffirmed the UN's commitment to implementing Security Council Resolution 2797. «Of course, by the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General, Staffan de Mistura, who will now use the resolution to reach out to the parties to see whether we can open another round of negotiations. And we'll brief you on that, as it happens», he said. When pressed by journalists to clarify Guterres's position on Morocco's sovereignty claim, Haq directed them to consult the text of Resolution 2797 itself. The resolution, adopted on October 31 with 11 votes in favor and three abstentions, notably saw Algeria abstain from the vote.
