Washington, June 19, 2016 (SPS) - Morocco has chosen the course of confrontation with the international community to end the United Nations-led peace process, said Polisario Front's Representative to the UN Ahmed Boukhari.
In his address at the session of the Special Committee on Decolonization, held in New York on Friday, Boukhari said that the colonizing power has chosen the option of confrontation with the international community to end the peace process and push the region into the worst-case scenarios.
"If this situation continues, it would be an international crime against the Sahrawi people and a constant threat to peace and security in the region," he warned.
Boukhari underlined that holding a referendum on self-determination is a key element of a peaceful solution to the 40-years-long conflict, reiterating the request for a special session of the Committee on Western Sahara.
"Morocco's direct attack against the secretary general after his visit to Western Sahara in March, and its unilateral decision to expel the civilian and political components of the UN Mission for Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) show that the colonial power has decided to pursue a course of confrontation with the international community," he said.
Boukhari added that despites the calls of Security Council in its resolution of April 2016, MINURSO's staff had not return to Western Sahara and negotiations between Morocco and Polisario Front had not resumed.
For Polisario Front, "MINURSO is the symbol of international commitment for the decolonization of the last non-self-governing territory in Africa," he added
He also underlined the need for the return of the UN Mission and the resumption of direct negotiations between the two parties for a peaceful resolution of the conflict, in accordance with the principle of self-determination.
Boukhari stressed that the legitimate representative of Sahrawi people was Polisario Front, adding that Morocco was not a legal administering power.
Citing the UN General Assembly's resolution 3437 (1979), the Polisario Front's representative said that Morocco was illegally occupying a territory that did not belong to it. (SPS)
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