The Secretary-General met this afternoon H.E. Mr Taib Fassi Fihri, Advisor of His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco.

The Secretary-General expressed gratitude for the support of His Majesty and the Government of Morocco to United Nations efforts to broker a solution to the Western Sahara dispute.   He urged the Government to continue to work with his Personal Envoy Christopher Ross and with MINURSO.

The Secretary-General also hoped that bilateral relations between Morocco and Algeria would continue to improve.

He commended Morocco for its efforts to promote human rights, but called on both parties - Morocco and the Frente POLISARIO - to observe international human rights standards and stressed the need for sustained monitoring both in Western Sahara and in the refugee camps.

He also called on the Government of Morocco to continue to engage in the UNHCR confidence-building measures, especially the family visits programme, which he said could contribute to alleviate the suffering of separated families.