U.N. chief regrets Morocco 'misunderstanding' over W.Sahara remark

By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon regrets a "misunderstanding" over his use of the word "occupation" to describe Morocco's annexation of Western Sahara, which led to Morocco expelling dozens of United Nations staff, his spokesman said on Monday. Earlier this month Ban used the word "occupation" to describe Morocco's annexation of Western Sahara in 1975, when it took over the arid territory along the Atlantic Ocean from colonial power Spain.