DR ‹ › Following the adoption of Resolution 2797, the British government, under the leadership of Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer, has voiced its aspiration to «to see progress in the coming months» concerning the Western Sahara issue. This position was voiced on Tuesday, December 16, by Hamish Falconer, the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs responsible for the Middle East and North Africa, during a session at the House of Commons. He was responding to an inquiry from Conservative MP Andrew Murrison. Andrew Murrison called upon the government to capitalize on its support for Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara by taking tangible steps to bolster trade relations with Morocco. «I know the House will be aware both of the shift in position on Western Sahara announced by the previous Foreign Secretary and of our vote in the recent Security Council deliberations about the future negotiations over Western Sahara», stated the deputy head of British diplomacy. He further disclosed that «the UN special envoy, Mr de Mistura, retains our full confidence. He is working hard to try to advance talks. It is vital to try to bring to a close this long-running conflict and impediment to greater unity in north Africa». As a reminder, the United Kingdom voted in favor of Resolution 2797 at the UN Security Council on October 31.
