The Security Council,

Recalling all its previous resolutions on the question of the Western Sahara, and reaffirming in particular resolution 1204 (1998) of 30 October 1998,

Welcoming the report of the Secretary-General of 11 December 1998 (S/1998/1160) and the observations and recommendations contained therein,

Noting the stated position of the Government of Morocco, and welcoming the formal acceptance by the POLISARIO Front to implement the package of measures contained in paragraph 2 of the report of the Secretary-General, in order to move forward with the implementation of the Settlement Plan,

1. Decides to extend the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) until 31 January 1999 to allow for further consultations in the hope that those consultations will lead to agreement on the various protocols without undermining the integrity of the Secretary-General's proposed package or calling into question its main elements;

2. Notes, in this regard, that the implementation of the Secretary-General's proposal to launch simultaneously the identification and appeals processes could clearly demonstrate the willingness of the parties to accelerate the referendum process, in accordance with the wishes they have publicly expressed in recent months;

3. Calls upon the parties and the interested States to sign as soon as possible the proposed refugee repatriation protocol with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), urges the Government of Morocco to formalize the presence of the UNHCR in the Territory, and requests both parties to take concrete action to enable the UNHCR to carry out the necessary preparatory work for the repatriation of Saharan refugees eligible to vote, and their immediate families, according to the Settlement Plan;

4. Urges the Government of Morocco promptly to sign a status-of-forces agreement with the Secretary-General as an indispensable condition for the full and timely deployment of MINURSO-formed military units and recalls that pending the conclusion of such agreement, the model status-of-forces agreement dated 9 October 1990 (A/45/594), as provided for in General Assembly resolution 52/12 B, should apply provisionally;

5. Notes that the contracts of the majority of the Identification Commission staff will expire by the end of December 1998, and that future extensions will depend on the prospects for resuming the identification work in the immediate future and on the decisions the Security Council will take concerning the mandate of MINURSO;

6. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Council by 22 January 1999 on the implementation of this resolution and on the progress in the implementation of the Settlement Plan and the agreements reached between the parties, and further requests him to keep the Council regularly informed of all significant developments including, as appropriate, a reassessment by the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General of the continuing viability of the mandate of MINURSO;

7. Decides to remain seized of the matter.