Shaheed El Hafed, January 16, 2016 (SPS) - The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohamed Salem Ould Salek, noted Saturday that Sweden considers "Morocco a colonial state that does not have sovereignty over Western Sahara" in a statement to the national press.
The foreign minister indicated that the Swedish Ambassador to Ethiopia, Jan Sadek, informed the Saharawi Embassy in that African nation that his country rejects the exploitation of Saharawi natural resources by Morocco pursuant to international law, and that it supports the UN efforts in order to ensure the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination and independence.
The Swedish ambassador addressed the position of his country regarding the recognition of the Saharawi state, stressing that Sweden has postponed considering this issue, referring to his country's proposal to extend the mandate of MINURSO to include the protection and monitoring of human rights.
The head of the Saharawi diplomacy further indicated that the Sweden's recognition of the Saharawi state was postponed for "tactical reasons" and that the recognition project remains in place.(SPS)