Within the framework of his mandate, the AU Special Envoy for Western Sahara, H.E. former President Joaquim Chissano, undertook a mission to the UN Secretariat in New York, from 26 to 29 April 2016. The mission was in implementation of the AU Organ’s decisions on the situation in Western Sahara, notably the decision adopted at the 588th meeting of the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC), held on 6 April 2016, at which, Council requested the Chairperson of the Commission to pursue and intensify her efforts, including through her Special Envoy, towards effective follow-up of the relevant provisions of its decisions.
During his mission, the AU Special Envoy held consultations with the UN high level officials, Ambassador Christopher Ross, UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Western Sahara; Mr. Tayé-Brook Zerihoun, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs; Mr. Edmond Mulet, Chef de Cabinet to the UN Secretary-General. The AU Special Envoy’s delegation also met with various representatives of the Permanent Missions to the UN namely, Ambassador Liu Jieyi of China, President of the UN Security Council for the month of April; Ambassador Rafael Dario Ramirez Carreno, Permanent Representative of Venezuela; Ambassador Vitaly I. Churkin, Permanent Representative of Russian Federation to the UN; the Delegation of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR); Ambassador Gerard Jacobus Van Bohemen, Permanent Representative of New Zealand; Ambassador Michele Sison, U.S. Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN; Ambassador Sabri Boukadoum, Permanent Representative of Algeria to the UN; Ambassador Elbio Rosselli, Permanent Representative of Uruguay to the UN; Ambassador François Delattre, Permanent Representative of France to the UN; Ambassador Román Oyarzun Marchesi, Permanent Representative of Spain to the UN. The AU Special Envoy delegation also held in-depth consultations with the Permanent Representative of Angola, Ambassador Ismael A. Gaspar Martins, in its capacity as the member of A3.
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