Paris, 1 July 2025 (SPS) - Mohamed Ali Zerouali, the Polisario Front's representative in France, has sharply criticized Paris's position on the Western Sahara issue, condemning what he described as a "blind eye" to the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination and independence, as stipulated by United Nations resolutions and the International Court of Justice.
In a lecture delivered during his participation in the annual political, media, and cultural event organized by the "Catalan Worker" newspaper over the past two days in the suburbs of Perpignan, France, Zerouali described the official French position as "negative and contrary to international law." He stated that this is due to its "disregard for the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination and independence, as stipulated by UN resolutions and the International Court of Justice," noting that this "undermines its credibility as a permanent member of the Security Council, placing it under a double responsibility to respect and protect international legitimacy, not violate it."
The Sahrawi diplomat also accused France of adopting a "double standard policy" in its dealings with international issues. He highlighted that France supports the rights of peoples in certain regions while ignoring them in Western Sahara, which "erodes the confidence of colonized peoples in the integrity of its stance and contributes to the Moroccan occupation's narrative at the expense of international law and human rights." He considered this step "proof of French diplomacy's deviation from the principles it claims to defend, such as freedom and human rights."
On this occasion, Mohamed Ali Zerouali reiterated his call to French political forces and civil society organizations to "continue exposing international complicity and defending the Sahrawi people's right to freedom and independence through concrete solidarity initiatives at both local and international levels."
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