France has a "major responsibility" for the success of the next tour of Christopher Ross, the United Nations Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, said Saturday in Paris Belgian Senator and President of the European Coordination of Solidarity with the Saharawi people (EUCOCO), Pierre Galand.

"France, a power within UN Security Council, shouldn't once again veto or create obstacles to Christopher Ross," during his next mission, Galand told APS on the sidelines of an international conference on the "respect of human rights in Western Sahara."

Ahead of Security Council meeting, scheduled for late April to settle MINURSO's issue, Ross has resumed his tours to speed up the settlement of Western Sahara's issue.

For that purpose, he will successively go to France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland.

Garland, mentioning the talks (to run until February 15) for a new round of negotiations between the parties to the conflict (Polisario Front and Morocco), in March, said it is "desirable" that Ross goes to the European Parliament in Brussels.

SPS