Algiers, 14 June 2021 (SPS) - The Security Council must assume its responsibilities vis-à-vis the issue of Western Sahara, Sahrawi Foreign Minister Mohamed Salem Ould Salek told the German channel Deutsche Welle.
The Sahrawi minister said he expected, notably from the USA and France, two permanent members of the Security Council, that they oblige Morocco to respect its own commitments concerning the issue of Western Sahara.
The Security Council’s passive position has had negative effects on the ground, according to him.
“We have seen that this impunity of Morocco, which violates the human rights, plunders Western Sahara’s natural resources and which flouts its own commitments, leads nowhere. Instead of peace, there is today a return of hostilities on the ground,” lamented Ould Salek.
He affirmed that “the United Nations must tell the Sahrawi people why Morocco is allowed to flout its commitments.”
“We are open to peace as we have always been and we signed an agreement (relating to the self-determination referendum). The Security Council must tell us why the agreement isn’t implemented (…) there is a UN mission (in the Sahrawi territories), what is it doing? Why did it come? Why is it still there?,” he wondered.
“We won’t say no to negotiations, but Morocco has blocked everything. We held negotiations, we have reached an agreement (but) Morocco, which violates all the decisions of the international organizations and particularly which goes back on its own commitments, must understand that the Sahrawi people can’t stand idly,” he underlined.
“At the level of the African Union (AU), the Sahrawi Republic is willing to make peace with Morocco (but) Morocco must know that peace is related to the respect of the borders inherited from the colonial era and respect of the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination and independence,” he added. (SPS)
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