Pretoria, Oct 29, 2012 (SPS) - The 3rd International Solidarity Conference of the African National Congress (ANC), which bears the name of the historic leader Oliver Reginald Tambo, kicked off Friday in the city of Pretoria under the theme “united for a progressive, better world”, in the presence of a Saharawi delegation led by Chief of POLISARIO Political Branches Mr. Khalil Sid Mhamed.
The conference aims at continuing to unite the likeminded people of the world for peace, solidarity and social transformation, in order to create a world free of human rights abuses and creation of sustainable environments.
Addressing the conference on behalf of the Saharawi President Mr. Mohamed Abdelaziz, Mr. Sid Mhamed pointed out to the historic relations already existed between the African National Congress and Frente POLISARIO and to the common struggle of both movements, recalling to the historic visit the South African leader Oliver Tambo paid to the Sahaarwi refugee camps and Western Sahara liberated territories in 1980s.
He also called on international organizations and institutions to show sympathy and solidity with the struggle of the Saharawi people for independence and freedom.
“As we conjure up the role of international solidarity in accelerating freedom of peoples, we need an effective action by all peace-loving forces throughout the world to support the Saharawi people,” he stated.
From his part, Chairman of the External Relations Sector at the African National Congress Prof. Ibrahim Ghandour said that ANC and South Africa have always expressed firm and well-known position towards right of the Saharawi people to self-determination, as a culmination of a common history.
“For us, the Saharawi people have a right to self-determination in accordance with dictates of international legitimacy. As for human rights, powers of MINURSO should be enlarged to be enabled to monitor the situation in the Saharawi territories. We have demanded that in the UN Security Council,” underlined the South African official.
Representative of Guinea-Bissau indicated that he had visited the Saharawi people, where he closely stopped at their suffering, expressing admiration for steadfastness of Saharawi women and men, affirming his party’s solidarity with the struggle of the Saharawi people.
The representative of Uganda on other hand denounced the fact that some African countries still dealing with Morocco in the breach of African consensus on the Saharawi question.
Representative of the South African Trade Unions (COSATU) insisted on the need to impose an economic siege on Morocco, as to stop importing its products or any other dealing, until it obey to conduct self-determination referendum of the Saharawi people.
Moreover, several interventions by representatives of South African civil society focused on France’s position that backs Moroccan regime and looting of Western Sahara natural wealth.
The conference held on 25th - 28 October 2012 is attended by delegations representing parties and organizations from various countries including Algeria, Palestine, Cuba, Tanzania, South Sudan, Uganda, United States, United Kingdom, Swaziland, China, North Korea, of Guinea-Bissau and Australia. (SPS)
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