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(Speical envoys)
Tifariti (liberated territories),
28/02/2007 (SPS) The International Conference of solidarity with the
Saharawi people closed its works on Tuesday in Tifariti with the
adoption of a programme of action, letters to the Security Council,
UN Secretary general, and the President of the European Union, in
addition to the Declaration of Tifariti.
Here is the complete text of the Declaration:
Final declaration
In the framework of 2007, the International Year of Solidarity with
the SADR, an international conference dedicated to the struggle of
the Saharawi people was organised in Tifariti (the liberated
territories of the SADR) on 26-27 February. The conference gathered
a large number of participants coming from all over the world.
Organised for the first time in Tifariti, in the liberated zones,
the conference acquired a very special importance as it coincided
with the commemoration by the Saharawi people of the 31st
anniversary of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic.
The conference pays tribute to the struggle for national
independence that the Saharawi people have been waging for more than
three decades under the leadership of the Frente POLISARIO against
the illegal occupation of their country by the Kingdom of Morocco.
This relentless struggle conducted with strict respect for
international legality is sustained by the will of a people that
have demonstrated their determination to achieve their full freedom
and to build their future in peace, democracy and freedom.
Equally, this struggle derives its legitimacy from the principles of
the UN Charter and numerous resolutions that recognise the right of
peoples subjected to colonial occupation to self-determination.
Thanks to the sacrifices made by many peoples in Africa, Asia and
Latin America, the international community has established as an
international crime the use of force to deprive a people of that
right. The corollary of this is the duty incumbent on all states to
show that people their support and solidarity until the attainment
of their legitimate national objective.
The participants reiterate their vehement condemnation of the
military and political aggression unleashed, in October 1975, by the
Kingdom of Morocco against the Saharawi people in the framework of
the illegal accords of 14 November 1975 by virtue of which the
former administering power of Western Sahara, Spain, renounced the
responsibilities that it had and still has in conformity with the
verdict of the United Nations of 29 January 2002, regarding the
completion of the decolonisation process in Western Sahara.
The conference congratulates the SADR and Mauritania for singing the
peace agreement dated 5 August 1978, whereby Mauritania opted for
respecting international legality and, in an act of political
coherence and in full exercise of its sovereignty, established
official relations with its neighbour, the SADR. The conference
encourages he two countries, bound by many and valuable ties, to
strengthen constantly their bilateral relations, to consolidate the
rule of law state, and to defend the principles enshrined in the
Charters of the United Nations and the African Union. These are
essential factors for securing peace and security in the region,
which is a necessary step for the eventual launching of the unitary
Maghrebian project.
The conference highly applauds the African Union for defending these
principles, and in particular the principle of self-determination of
colonial countries and people as well as the principle of the
intangibility of the frontiers inherited from the colonial era,
which it has shown by admitting the SADR as a full member amid the
family of free and sovereign African nations.
The conference pays tribute to the support rendered by Algeria
throughout the past decades to the legitimate struggle of the people
of the SADR for their self-determination and independence, a
constant position inspired by the unfailing attachment of this great
country to the values and teachings derived from the heroic struggle
of the Algerian people for their independence.
The conference shows its deep appreciation for the solidarity as
well as the political and diplomatic support that a large number of
countries in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia have
given to the just cause of the Saharawi people bilaterally and in
international forums. In this context, the conference expresses its
profound gratitude to all political forces, MPs, local and
autonomous bodies, and nongovernmental organisations of civil
society in Europe, Latin America and the United States that have
accompanied the Saharawi people with their encouragement and
humanitarian and material support in order to mitigate the hardships
and all forms of deprivations resulting from the conquest war and
the colonial pillage carried out by the Kingdom of Morocco.
The conference has discussed in depth the current situation of the
peace process in Western Sahara that was set in motion in 1990-91 by
the United Nations in the framework of the Settlement Plan, which
was approved by the Security Council in its resolutions 658 and 690
and accepted by the occupying power, Morocco, and the Frente
POLISARIO, the legitimate representative of the Saharawi people. The
explicit objective of this process was—and must continue to be—one
of enabling the Saharawi people to exercise their inalienable right
to self-determination in the context of the options set out in this
plan and through a referendum organised and supervised by the United
Nations in cooperation with the African Union.
Whilst reaffirming the content of the resolutions adopted by the
General Assembly since the 60s as well as the content of the verdict
of the International Court of Justice on Western Sahara dated 16
October 1975, this plan recognises that the Saharawi question is a
decolonisation issue that can be resolved only through the
implementation of the dictates of international legality contained
in the Magna Carta of decolonisation set out in the well-known
resolution 1514 (XV) of the General Assembly. In this context, the
United Nations recognised—and continue to recognise—that Morocco
maintains an illegal occupation of a territory that does not belong
to it, and on which it does not and cannot exercise any form of
sovereignty.
The participants are convinced that the referendum remains the only
peaceful and legal means that enjoys the unanimous support of the
international community for reaching a just, peaceful and lasting
solution to the conflict in Western Sahara. The Saharawi people are
the only depository of the right to self-determination of their
territory and no one, and certainly not the occupying power, can
determine on their behalf the destiny of their country.
Consequently, the conference CONDEMNS the policy of occupation and
oppression pursed by Morocco in Western Sahara as well as its
strategy aimed at thwarting and frustrating the efforts and
decisions taken by the international community. Morocco’s rejection
of the Settlement Plan and the Houston Agreements that it had
already accepted and signed as well as its opposition to the Peace
Plan (Baker Plan), which was approved by the Security Council in its
resolution 1495 (2003), all indicate that Morocco has acted in bad
faith and is deliberately determined to persist in challenging the
resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly that
recognise the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination.
The final status of the territory of Western Sahara is the exclusive
prerogative of its people. In this context, the Moroccan unilateral
project concerning the so-called “autonomy” within the framework of
its purported sovereignty over Western Sahara that no country or
body recognises, seeks to distort international legality applicable
to a decolonisation question by trying to impose on the Saharawi
people and the international community a disgraceful and
unacceptable “colonial reality” in the midst of the 21st century.
Every country that respects itself and international legality should
reject this new attempt of colonial nature that aims to legitimise a
colonial aggression perpetrated against a people to the detriment of
their rights to freedom and independence. The conference would like
to express its astonishment and surprise at the fact that France, in
the words of its president, has described this project as
“constructive” considering that it is a flagrant violation of
international law aimed at depriving a people of their right to
self-determination. As a member of the Security Council and present
and future partner of the Maghrebian region, France would enhance
its credibility if it employs its political and diplomatic leverage
to make Morocco cooperate with the United Nations in the holding of
the self-determination referendum to which it had committed itself,
given the unanimous support given by the Security Council to the
Settlement Plan and Houston Agreements as well as the Baker Plan.
The participants consider that the pseudo-solution called proposal
of “autonomy” in the framework of Moroccan sovereignty constitutes a
dangerous “flight forward” that will give rise to more tension in
the territory and the region as a whole, and will eventually block
all ways leading to a peaceful, just and lasting settlement of the
conflict.
The Conference DECLARES the Moroccan project legally null and void.
The participants call on France and its government to reconsider its
position, and to cease its alignment with the Moroccan expansionist
policies that are being pursued to the detriment of international
legality and the obligations and responsibilities towards the
Maghreb region whose future configuration cannot be done on the
basis of the modification by the force of the frontiers inherited
from the colonial era, or the violation of the fundamental right of
self-determination of the Saharawi people.
The conference REMINDS Spain of its political, legal and ethical
responsibility for the tragedy that the Saharawi people continue to
endure. Having successfully overcome the transitional period and
consolidated its democracy, and keeping in mind that responsibility
and the view of the immense majority of the civil society, the
official Spain should revise its current position in order to play
its role as an administering power and thus contribute honestly and
concretely to the peaceful and just solution to the conflict in
Western Sahara on the basis of the respect for international
legality.
The conference REGRETS that, after thirty years, the stand of the
Spanish Government has not been in line with this binding
responsibility. The conference condemns the Spain’s recent massive
arms sales to Morocco and its abstention from supporting the last
resolution of the UN General Assembly on Western Sahara are serious
facts that can only contribute to encouraging Morocco to continue
its rebellion against international law, and to intensify its
violation of human rights in the occupied territories of Western
Sahara. The conference launches an appeal to the civil society and
all peoples and democratic forces of the Spanish State to intervene
urgently to stop these arms sales to Morocco whose political
consequences for peace and stability will very dangerous.
The conference REMINDS the European Union of its responsibility for
the continuation of the conflict in Western Sahara. The EU, a big
supplier of Morocco, should not allow this country to violate the
terms and obligations derived from the association agreement
especially those that are related to the respect for human rights.
However, several governmental and nongovernmental organisations such
as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Amnesty International,
Human Rights Watch, among others, have publicly recognised the fact
that Morocco continues to massively violate human rights in Western
Sahara, and that this violation is rooted in the violation of the
right of the Saharawi people to self-determination.
It is not in favour of the international credibility of the European
Union to turn a blind eye to what is happening in Western Sahara,
and to pursue a policy of double standard in its consideration of
the situation of human rights in the world particularly if these
violations are perpetrated by countries that receive, as the case of
Morocco, generous financial and economic aid from the EU.
The conference would like to REITERATE ITS DENUNCIATION of the
Moroccan policy aimed at implicating foreign companies and
governments in plundering the natural resources including fish and
hydrocarbons of Western Sahara.
In this context, the fisheries agreement signed by the EU and
Morocco, at Spain and France’s instigation, is an act contrary to
international legality because it involves illegally the
jurisdictional waters of Western Sahara. It is an act of illegal
exploitation of the natural resources of the Saharawi people over
which it has permanent sovereignty in accordance with international
law. It is also an agreement that grants economic and financial
benefits to the occupying power of the territory, thus encouraging
it to continue its opposition to international legality. The
conference considers this agreement as illegal and call for it to be
immediately revoked.
During their visit to the Saharawi refugee camps and some of the
liberated zones of the SADR, the participants have been able to see
firsthand the hard life conditions of the population, which are
aggravated by the harsh geographical environment. These dramatic
conditions can only be overcome by the achievement of a just and
lasting solution to the conflict. This solution, which was
established by the international community in 1990-91, was sabotaged
by Morocco in the face of the passivity of the Security Council.
Nevertheless, the reality is evident because the beginning of the
conflict and its continuation has forced thousands of Saharawi
women, elderly and children to go into exile and to engage in
resistance against the occupation of their homeland by the invading
forces.
Determined to prepare the future of their country in the domains of
education, health, administration, economy and the like, this
population has known a real demographic explosion. The three
decades, which have elapsed since the beginning of the illegal
occupation of the territory by Morocco, have created a human drama
that amounts to an affront to the worlds’ conscience.
The delay by the UN agencies, especially the UNHCR and the WFP, in
fulfilling their commitment towards Saharawi refugees leads to a
legitimates concern and poses serious questions about the
possibility of a hidden agenda aimed at exerting pressure on the
Saharawis in order to persuade them to give up their right to
independence.
The conference launches an URGENT APPEAL on these agencies, the
European Union and the international community as a whole to
contribute urgently to providing sufficient humanitarian aid that
respects the legitimate needs of a people that are victim of an
imposed colonial war.
In the occupied territories, the situation remains alarming as
Morocco continues its repression and persecution against the
Saharawi population: daily harassment of human rights activists,
torture, unfair trials, inhuman prison conditions, etc. The
seriousness of the situation has reached unprecedented proportions
after the beginning of the peaceful intifada in May 2005. The whole
world, and in the first place the UN through the presence of MIURSO
in the field, has realised the ferocity of this repression against
the Saharawi population. Medieval jails crammed with political
prisoners, torture, disappearances, detentions and unfair and
arbitrary trials are the daily reminder of a brutal colonial
occupation. A specific report of the UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights detailed, in September 2006, the horror in which the Saharawi
population lives in the occupied territories. Morocco has reacted
with brutal repression and police violence against the legitimate
demands that are expressed peacefully in defence of a people’s
right. At the moment, there are 38 Saharawi political prisoners that
have been on hunger strike since 30 January, and their situation is
deteriorating every day…
The conference DENOUNCES Morocco’s violation of human rights in
Western Sahara, and would like to express its firm support and
encouragement to the heroic resistance of the Saharawi population,
and calls on Morocco to put an end to its policies of oppression and
repression. It also CALLS ON the United Nations to make public the
report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Western
Sahara (15-23 May and 19 June 2006). The conference DEMANDS the UN
Secretary-General and the Security Council to enlarge the mandate of
MINURSO to include the defence of human rights and the protection of
civil society in the occupied territories.
The conference has been able to establish that, a few kilometres
from the town of Tifariti, the occupying authorities have erected a
disgraceful wall of more than 2.700 kilometres that separates a
people and divides entire families, which is invested with landmines
and death instruments. It embodies the occupation and the logic of
force…
This wall is an affront to the world’s conscience and to human
dignity, and reveals the true face of Morocco’s illegal occupation
of Western Sahara, its expansionist policy and its violations of
human rights. The wall of shame erected along Western Sahara has
separated the same people for more than thirty years, and
concentrates the terrifying destruction means, among which millions
of landmines of all types that cause death and desolation among the
Saharawi population, in addition to the disastrous ecological
consequences for the livestock and the fauna of the territory.
Morocco that refuses to sign the conventions and treaties, which ban
the use of landmines (Ottawa Convention, Geneva’s Call …), is
responsible for this chaos and the devastation caused by this wall
which, by its very conception and architecture, calls to mind other
sinister walls that are bound to fall and to disappear one day. The
participants CALL FOR the dismantlement of this wall of shame.
There is an emergency situation in Western Sahara that entails an
urgent action.
The conference express its vehement condemnation of the Moroccan
escalation, and launches an urgent appeal on the United Nations, and
especially the Secretary-General and the Security Council, to demand
Morocco to respect its commitments that were agreed on in the
Settlement Plan of 1991 and the Houston Agreements of 1997.
The conference considers that there will be no just, legitimate,
democratic and acceptable solution without taking into account the
respect for the will of the people of Western Sahara and respect for
international law and the UN resolutions.
The conference calls on the Moroccan Government to put an end to its
brutal repression against the Saharawi civilians in the occupied
territories, to release all political prisoners and to allow visits
by independent observers and NGOs.
The conference reaffirms its full solidarity with the legitimate
struggle of the Saharawi people and draws up a plan that aims to put
into practice this solidarity in political, humanitarian,
parliamentarian, social, and economic domains, and on a world scale.
The participants would like to thank the Saharawi political,
military and administrative authorities for their invaluable
contribution to the success of this conference.
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