Melbourne, Oct 6, 2011 (SPS) -The Polisario Front representative to Australia, Kamal Fadel, underlined that there is a human tragedy taking place in the occupied areas of Western Sahara as a result of Moroccan gross human rights violations, stressing the necessity to the inclusion of human rights monitoring in the UN mandate (MINORSO).
Speaking at an event organized Wednesday by the Australian Institute of International Affairs in Melbourne, Kamal Fadel highlighted the barbaric attacks perpetrated by Moroccan settlers aided and abated by the security forces against the defenseless Saharawis in the occupied city of Daklha , which led to the assassination of the young Saharawi, Maichan Mohamed Lamin Lehbib, and many other serious injuries.
The Saharawi diplomat provided a historical background of the issue of Western Sahara and explained the UN involvement in the decolonization process of the non-self-governing territory since 1963.
He outlined that the failure of the UN in organizing the referendum of self-determination in Western Sahara is due to Morocco’s obstructions and delaying tactics to avoid the verdict of the Saharawi people and also due to the unwillingness of some members of the Security Council to put pressure on Morocco to abide by International law and UN resolutions.
He said that the current situation in the occupied areas demonstrates clearly the urgent need of the inclusion of human rights monitoring in the mandate of the UN.
The Saharawi Representative also spoke about Morocco’s illegal trade in Saharawi natural resources. He said that Morocco is violating international law and disregarding the UN legal opinion of 2002 concerning the exploitation of Saharawi natural resources. (SPS)
90/00