Algiers, December 14, 2015 (SPS) - President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) and Secretary General of the Polisario Front Mohamed Abdelaziz, said Sunday in Algiers that “Morocco is increasingly isolated on the international diplomatic scene,” following the briefing of UN Envoy for Western Sahara, Christopher Ross before UN Security Council.
Ross has recently completed a tour in the region.
The Sahrawi president was awarded the National Consultative Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (CNCPPDH) annual prize in recognition of his struggle and activism for the liberation of occupied Western Sahara and the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination for more than 40 years.
He added that it is "unacceptable" that Rabat continues to ban the UN envoy Ross to visit the occupied Sahrawi territories, as part of his mission.
"It's illegal, unacceptable and contrary to the international legitimacy," Abdelaziz described the official Moroccan statements aimed at hindering Ross's efforts for a just and final settlement of the conflict in Western Sahara, occupied since 1975 Morocco, supported by France.
Regarding the visit of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to the region, planned in January, the Sahrawi President said that it will increase pressure on the Moroccan government to comply with the same provisions the decolonization process in Western Sahara, the last colony in Africa.
"Ban’s visit reflects the international pressure, currently exerted on Morocco, as it will be a continuity of the actions undertaken within the framework of international legality", he also welcomed.
On a question regarding the annulment by the EU Court of Justice of the Agriculture Agreement between the EU and Rabat, President Abdelaziz said that "this verdict is consistent with international law," denouncing "any attempt likely to block the application of this judicial decision." (SPS)
062/090/700