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SPS
South Africa to the UN’s 4th Committee: The international community
must support Saharawi people’s right to independence 07.10.05
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South Africa is "concerned that the Saharawi people still cannot exercise their self-determination, which is guaranteed under the Charter of the United Nations", and considers that "the international community has a solemn responsibility to uphold the Charter of the United Nations and support the right of self-determination of the Saharawi people", the South African Ambassador said.
"The Baker Plan remains relevant and even the Security Council in its resolution 1495 (2003), has confirmed its support for this peace plan that the Council described as ‘an optimum political solution on the basis of agreement between the two parties’”, Mr. KUMALO underlined.
South Africa, is thus "pleased that POLISARIO has continued to maintain its support for the peace plan", and is "concerned that the Kingdom of Morocco has yet to reciprocate and accept the Baker Plan unconditionally".
Expressing the African position on some Moroccan attempts to impose solutions outside the international legality, South Africa hoped that "the United Nations would not be party to any plan to force the Saharawi people to be denied their fundamental right to choose their own destiny", Mr. Ambassador said, stressing that "a free and fair referendum conducted by the United Nations is the only way" to make sure that the UN’s Charter is respected and the decolonisation process of Western Sahara is legally completed.
On another hand, South Africa is "concerned about the report of Amnesty International about the arrests by Morocco of six human rights defenders in Western Sahara who were demonstrating in the capital city of El Aaiun for their independence", he stressed.
"The allegation by Amnesty International that some of these Saharawi human rights defenders have even been tortured in the Moroccan jails is of great concern to my delegation. All these tragic events would end if Morocco were to allow a UN supervised referendum to take place as suggested in the Baker Plan", he further added.
"Of greater significance, however, is the recent release by POLISARIO of the remaining Moroccan prisoners of war. We commend POLISARIO for this important and bold demonstration of the willingness and the flexibility to move toward resolving this impasse", Mr. Ambassador said, hoping that Morocco would reciprocate and put an end to its human rights’ violations in Western Sahara.
South Africa also "hopes that the Kingdom of Morocco would reciprocate with releasing the remaining Saharawi prisoners and extending flexibility in all the ways that could ease the living conditions of the Saharawi people", in the occupied territories of Western Sahara.
The Ambassador finally underlined that "the Saharawi Republic is a member of the African Union and we are pleased that more African countries have joined in recognising their independence", in a signal of encouragement to other nations to recognise SADR and Saharawi people’s right to independence. (SPS)
060/090/000 070406 Oct 05 SPS
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SPS
Tanzania: Resolving the question of Western Sahara on the basis of the
right to self-determination remains the only option
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New York
(United Nations),
07/10/2005 (SPS) "Resolving the question of Western Sahara on the basis of the
inalienable right of the Saharawi people to self-determination continues to
remain the only option", for a legal decolonisation of the conflict, declared
Thursday the Tanzanian representative in his speech before the UN’s 4th
Committee of decolonisation in New York.
"Western Sahara, the last decolonisation question in Africa, remains unresolved
and is currently at a stalemate", the representative said, because of the
Moroccan persisting unwillingness to respect his international engagements and
refusal to implement UN’s Security Council’s resolutions.
To Tanzania, "resolving the question of Western Sahara on the basis of the inalienable right of the Saharan people to self-determination continues to remain the only option". It, further, calls on "the two parties to urgently implement the Baker Plan and avoid any violation of the ceasefire or any acts that will hinder MINURSO in the performance of its duties".
The Tanzanian representative, considered, however, that "all available options for self-determination of the non-self-governing territories are valid as long as they are in accordance with the freely expressed wishes of the peoples concerned and in conformity with the clearly defined principles contained in United Nations’ resolutions".
On another hand Tanzania is "concerned at the continued acts of violations of human rights", in the occupied territories of Western Sahara, and urges "both the Saharawi Government and Morocco to release all prisoners of war and political prisoners", knowing that Polisario Front has released the last Moroccan prisoners of war last August the 18th. (SPS)
060/090/000 070429 Oct 05 SPS
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SPS
Cuba reaffirms its support to "Saharawi people’s struggle against the
colonisers and urges the UN to urgently decolonise Western Sahara
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New York (United Nations), 07/10/2005 (SPS) The Cuban Representative to the UN reaffirmed,
on Thursday in his speech before the UN’s 4th Committee for
decolonisation, his country’s support to Saharawi people’s struggle against the
Moroccan colonialism, urging the UN to firmly complete the decolonisation of the
Western Sahara, the last colonised country in Africa.
Cuba
"reaffirms its full support to the Saharawi people's struggle against colonisers
and occupants and demands a firm and brave action from the United Nations", to
decolonise the non-self-governing territory of Western Sahara in accordance
"with the principles of the international law and the United Nations’ Charter",
the representative said.
The current stalemate caused by the Moroccan refusal to respect the
international legality and UN’s resolutions calling for the enforcement of the
Saharawi people’s right to self-determination, "is a cause of deep concern" to
Cuba, he added.
"We endorse the holding of a just, transparent and impartial referendum, supervised by the United Nations and in strict compliance with the Settlement Plan's terms, the Houston Accords and the relevant resolutions approved by the General Assembly and the Security Council, as the only feasible way to find a honourable solution that includes the full exercise by the Saharawi people of their right to self-determination, without excluding the option of independence", the Cuban representative further said. (SPS)
060/090/000 070441 Oct 05 SPS.
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SPS
The Rio Group supports the decolonisation of Western Sahara on the basis
of the Saharawi people’s right to self-determination
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New York
(United Nations),
07/10/2005 (SPS) The Rio Group reaffirmed its support to the decolonisation of
Western Sahara on the basis of the Saharawi people’s right to
self-determination, declared on Thursday the representative of Argentina on
behalf of the group, before the UN’s 4th Committee for
decolonisation.
The Rio Group "reaffirms the responsibility of the United Nations with regard to
assure the exercise by the Saharawi people of its right to self-determination"
as a basis to any lasting solution to the conflict of Western Sahara, declared
the representative of the Group.
The Group supports "the efforts of the Secretary General and the Secretary General Personal Envoy to Western Sahara, Peter Van Walsum", calling the parties "to cooperate - according to the Security Council pertinent resolutions - with the United Nations and among themselves in order to put an end to the present deadlock and move forward to an everlasting solution on this question, in accordance with the principles of the United Nations’ Charter".
On another hand, it considers that "the decision taken by the Frente Polisario to release the last group of Moroccan prisoners of war, constitutes an important step forward", and a real proof on the Saharawi people’ willingness to find encourage a peaceful solution to the conflict.
Besides Argentina, the Rio Group is composed of Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, Guyana, Dominican Rep, Costa Rica, Honduras and Salvador, it should be recalled. (SPS)
060/090/000 070558 Oct 05 SPS
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SPS
Sin-in of solidarity with Saharawi people in front of the Moroccan Embassy
in Roma this October the 15th
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Roma, 07/10/2005 (SPS) A sit-in of solidarity with the struggle of the Saharawi people will take part this October the 15th in front of the Moroccan Embassy in Roma, to the request of associations of solidarity with the Saharawi people, who called all the friends and sympathisers with the Saharawi cause to participate largely.
This initiative, which has the adherence of the International Bureau for the Defence of Human rights in Western Sahara (BIRDHSO), human rights’ associations and political personalities, is a "strong signal to give a higher political visibility to the difficult situation of the Saharawi political prisoners in Moroccan custody and to the long struggle of the Saharawi people who are claiming, the last 30 years, for their right to self-determination", underlined a press release by the association "Jaima Sahraoui" of Emilie Romagna region.
The Association, that expressed its happiness with the temporary suspension by the 37 Saharawi political prisoners of their hunger strike, indicated however that "the situation remains preoccupying as it is urgent the mobilisation of the movement of solidarity with the Saharawi people until the liberation of all the Saharawi political detainees in Moroccan custody".
A day of hunger strike in solidarity with the Saharawi political prisoners was organised last Wednesday and witnessed a wide success with the participation of hundreds persons in many Italian cities.
Parliamentarians, local elected officials, representatives of humanitarian organisations as well as associations of solidarity with the Saharawi people participated on Wednesday to the fasting day that was organised famous Places in Roma, Florence, Genes and Bologne in solidarity with the Saharawi political prisoners detained in Moroccan prisons in the occupied city of El Aaiun (Western Sahar), in Ait Melloul and Casablanca (Morocco).
Many Italian political parties, especially the Italian Communist Party, Communist Re-foundation Party and the Green Party reiterated, in press releases, their effective solidarity and support to the Saharawi people’s peaceful struggle, calling to "the end of the occupation of Western Sahara by Morocco and to enable Saharawi people decide over their future conforming to the UN’s peace plan".
On another hand, motions of support and solidarity were signed by officials o many communities from the centre and the north of Italia, in particular from the region of Modène and Toscana ''denouncing the conditions of life of Saharawis living in Western Sahara, still under Moroccan occupation despite of UN’s resolutions that ruled the holding of a self-determination referendum", and expressed their full engagement to the Saharawi people’s peaceful struggle, reported Algerian Press Agency, APS. (SPS)
060/090/700 070323 Oct 05 SPS
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SPS
Mr. Baali: it is "still possible for Morocco to return to the
international legality"
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New York (United Nations), 07/10/2005 (SPS) The Algerian Permanent Representative to the UN, Mr. Abdallah Baali, considered that Morocco "can still return to the international legality" by enforcing "the Baker plan for the self-determination of the Saharawi people, Baali said in his intervention before the UN’s 4th Commission for decolonisation.
"It is still possible for the kingdom of Morocco to return to the international legality, that is to say to the plan for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara", elaborated by Mr. James Baker, former UN’s Secretary General’s Personal Envoy for Western Sahara.
Baker Plan, which was "unanimously endorsed by the UN’s Security Council" last July 20032 "represents, from the UN’s Secretary General’s point of view, the optimum political solution for the settlement of the conflict of Western Sahara", Mr. Baali recalled.
Western Sahara "is not a Moroccan region that aspires for wider autonomy, it is a non-self-governing territory (...) illegally occupied that is still to be decolonised", he said.
"All arguments Morocco may advance attempting to justify its occupation of the territory and all the wrong solutions Morocco may propose to avoid its international obligations can change nothing in that reality", he affirmed.
The Algerian diplomat underlined that "no country in the world recognises the pretended sovereignty of Morocco over Western Sahara", adding that "neither the Saharawi people nor the international community are ready to give up and surrender to the policy of the fait accompli".
Since the cease-fire concluded last September 1990 between the Polisario Front and Morocco, aiming at the enforcement of the self-determination referendum, "neither the Settlement Plan, fully approved by the Security Council", nor the Houston Accords of 1997, nor the Baker Plan "were able to be enforced to this day because of the Moroccan delaying manoeuvres", Mr. Baali regretted.
The Algerian Permanent Representative to the UN noted, however, that the recent nomination by Mr. Kofi Annan of a new Personal Representative for the Western Sahara, Mr. Peter Van Walsum, "can be an occasion for a real re-launching of the dynamic of peace". (SPS)
060/090/700 071640 Oct 05 SPS
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