A second round of talks on ending the Western Sahara conflict began behind closed doors in Switzerland Thursday, with the UN voicing hope the sides would discuss "how to build trust".
Foreign ministers from Morocco, Algeria and Mauritania along with the chief negotiator from the Polisario Front liberation movement joined United Nations envoy to the disputed region, former German president Horst Kohler, in a secret location "near Geneva".
The UN said the aim of the two-day talks was to take "a further step in the political process towards reaching a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara."
The UN said the purpose of the new round "is for delegations to start approaching elements needed for building an enduring solution based on compromise."