El ministro marroquí del Interior, Driss Basri, afirmó el 3 de noviembre de 1999 en El Aaiún que el referéndum de autodeterminación del Sáhara Occidental, previsto para el 31 de julio del año 2000, "será aplazado dos o tres años" debido a los 71.420 recursos presentados contra el censo provisional de votantes que elabora la Misión de Naciones Unidas para el referéndum del Sáhara Occidental.
On 3 November 1999 the Moroccan Minister for Internal Affairs, Driss Basri, said in El Aaiún that the referendum on self-determination in Western Sahara, which is due to be held on 31 July 2000, >will be postponed for two or three years= on account of the 71 420 appeals which have been lodged against the provisional list of voters which is being drawn up by the UN mission responsible for the referendum in Western Sahara. The UN has not recognised the authors of those appeals as being entitled to vote in the referendum.