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New York (UN) April 13, 2009 (SPS) The POLISARIO Front considered that the tragic incident of April 10 highlights the urgent need for Morocco to deactivate its mines in the Western Sahara to ensure that the lives of Sahrawi civil population are protected, in a letter to the President of the Security Council Mr. Claude Heller, by the Representative of the POLISARIO Front to UN, Ahmed Boukhari.
In this incident, several young Sahrawis were wounded as a result of the explosion of an antipersonnel mines planted by Morocco in the Territory and one of them has lost his foot, while participating in a peaceful manifestation took place in front of the military wall erected by Morocco in the Western Sahara, which gathered hundreds of human rights defenders, artists and intellectuals and representatives of both Sahrawi and international civil society groups.
The POLISARIO Representative to UN in his letter to the President of the UN Security Council affirmed, Contrary to the official and public allegations of Morocco, it was not a military activity or action. It was a huge peaceful demonstration carried out by Sahrawi civilians and foreigners who were neither armed nor equipped with any mine detectors and did not fire a single shot. International media were present there.
Following is the full text of the letter:
New York, 13 April 2009
Mr President,
Following official instructions, I have the honour to bring the following to your attention:
On 10 April, a peaceful demonstration took place before the military wall erected by Morocco in the very heart of our country, a symbol of what the General Assembly resolution 34/37 described as a “military occupation”, which gathered hundreds of human rights defenders, artists and intellectuals and representatives of both Sahrawi and international civil society groups. Several young Sahrawis were wounded as a result of the explosion of an antipersonnel mines planted by Morocco in the Territory and one of them has lost his foot.
The POLISARIO Front, which has expressed its sympathy and solidarity with the wounded and their families, considers that this tragic incident highlights the urgent need for Morocco to put at the disposal of the United Nations and European NGOs, such as Landmine Action, all the information available to detect, map and deactivate the mines in order to ensure that the lives of Sahrawi civil population and others as well as the huge flow of cattle that often roam the area are effectively protected from the risk created by the absence of sufficient demarcation of the fields that are believed to be infested with about 5 million antipersonnel landmines.
Contrary to the official and public allegations of Morocco, it was not a military activity or action. It was a huge peaceful demonstration carried out by Sahrawi civilians and foreigners who were neither armed nor equipped with any mine detectors and did not fire a single shot. International media were present there.
Morocco violates systematically human rights in Western Sahara and exploits illegally the natural resources of the Territory in which it does whatever she pleases under the protection of an illegal occupation that persists in blatant defiance of the resolutions of the General Assembly, the Security Council, the African Union and the Non-Aligned Movement.
Morocco is certainly in no good position to request the United Nations to shoulder any responsibility after it has sabotaged all efforts deployed by the Organisation throughout three decades, and particularly in relation to an incident that it has deliberately distorted to present it as a breach of the ceasefire.
The terms of the military agreements signed by the two parties with MINURSO are crystal clear, and it has been indicated in several reports of the Secretary-General that Morocco did not respect them, the same as it did not respect the terms of the main mandate that the Security Council gave, in its resolutions 650 (1990) and 680 (1991), to MINURSO to hold the self-determination referendum in Western Sahara, which is an inseparable element of the ceasefire currently in force.
Morocco should give better proofs to the international community that it is motivated by a sincere political will to cooperate with the United Nations in the just and lasting solution of the conflict created by its prolonged occupation of our country, instead of engaging in diversionary activities aimed at diverting the attention from what is essential.
Firstly, and given the urgency prompted by facts documented and evidenced by different international organisations, the decisive proof that cannot be postponed is to allow MINURSO to include in its mandate the issue of human rights in the Territory. If the two parties claim that they do not have anything to hide from the international community, this inclusion should not pose major difficulties and the Security Council would certainly give it its approval.
Secondly, to accept the political and military confidence-building measures that were proposed to the two parties during the negotiations held in Manhasset to help reduce the growing tension and to protect the innocent lives of civilian residents, illegal immigrants and visitors to the region from the mine-infested fields.
Lastly, to go to a possible resumption of the direct negotiations with an open spirit, in good faith and without pre-conditions that could affect the framework or the substance and objectives of the process of peaceful solution that was initiated within the ambit of resolution 1754 (2007).
I shall be grateful to you, Excellency, if you would bring the content of the present letter to the attention of the Members of the Security Council.
I avail myself of this opportunity to renew to you the assurances of my highest consideration.
Ahmed Boukhari,
Representative of the POLISARIO Front (SPS)
062/090/000 132131 APRIL 09 SPS
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