Western Sahara

Kofi Annan has imposed a deadline of January 31, 2004, for Morocco to accept a peace plan for Western Sahara, and Morocco isn't happy. This plan, negotiated by former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker, would give the disputed region autonomy for a 5-year period before a referendum on independence, which Morocco opposes. If Morocco does not accept the plan, the issue would revert to the UN Security Council. Meanwhile, members of the Polisario Front, a guerrilla group supporting Western Saharan independence, say they are considering an all-out war against Morocco in order to win their independence.

I don't know much about this situation, but it seems like if France is giving Morocco carte blanche in Western Sahara policy, having the issue return to the Security Council isn't much of a threat. Whoever controls the territory will control what many believe to be substantial oil and gas reserves. French and American oil companies have contracts with Morocco, while an Anglo-Australian company is trying to do business with the Saharawi government-in-exile.