RABAT, Feb 26 (KUNA) -- Morocco has withdrawn its troops from the Guerguerat region, in the southern Western Sahara near the Mauritanian borders, the Kingdom said on Sunday.
The move follows statements by a UN Secretary General's spokesperson on the increased tensions in the vicinity of Guerguerat between the Moroccan army and the Frente Polisario.
The withdrawal follows telephone talks between King Mohammed VI of Morocco and the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Friday, Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation.
The unilateral step has come in respect and in application of the UN Chief's demand, the ministry added, noting that the Kingdom takes down the UN Secretary General's recommendations and assessments that go line with the international legitimacy.
It also expressed hope that Guterres's intervention would help restore the former status of the Guerguerat, namely maintaining flexibility of free travel through the region, as well as ceasefire for enhancing regional stability.
The UN spokesperson had said that the Secretary General was deeply concerned about the increased tensions in the vicinity of Guerguerat in the Buffer Strip in southern Western Sahara between the Moroccan berm and the Mauritanian border.
He urged both Morocco and Frente Polisario to withdraw their armed elements from the region. (end) mry.msa