New Western Sahara peace efforts

A fresh attempt is being made to find a solution to the long-running dispute between Morocco and the Polisario Front over the Western Sahara.

The United Nations special envoy to Western Sahara, James Baker, is hosting three days of talks at his ranch in Wyoming in the United States.

A BBC correspondent says it's hoped the informal setting will help win over the Polisario Front, which in June rejected Mr Baker's proposals to give the disputed territory autonomy, rather than independence from Morocco.

The Polisario movement's main international backer, Algeria, is also taking part in the talks, as is Mauritania, which borders the Western Sahara.

Morocco which gave its qualified support to the autonomy proposals is not attending.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service