New York, Oct 13, 2012 (SPS) - Algeria has expressed “unshakeable solidarity” those peoples and nations subjected to colonial domination in the remaining 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories, including Western Sahara, the last remaining colony in Africa.
Addressing the UN Fourth Committee on Friday, Algerian Permanent Representative to the UN Mourad BENMEHIDI said that Algeria “could not stand silently by while colonialism persisted, and the right of self-determination was slighted.”
The Algerian diplomat stressed in this regard on the need to apply the UN resolution 1514 to situation of Western Sahara, reaffirming the responsibility of the United Nations in the matter.
“There was no justifiable alternative to Western Sahara’s decolonization, and any aim to place the matter in any other context than completing that process under United Nations supervision would only delay definitive settlement of the issue, which had gone on for too long,” underlined Mr. Benmehidi.
He also recalled to the last report of the Secretary-General to the Security Council on that matter, particularly the paragraph 105 which clearly affirmed the right to self-determination of the Saharan people, adding that the negotiations between Morocco and POLISARIO Front must fall within that logic.
Algeria’s Representative stated that his country “would continue to work towards meeting the clear right of the Saharan people to decide their own future through a free referendum overseen by the United Nations.” (SPS)
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