London, 28 March 2022 (SPS) - The Western Sahara Campaign (WSC) UK has indicated that Spain's new position towards Western Sahara illustrates the "scandalous abandonment" of its responsibilities, calling on it to reverse its "shameful" decision.
"We call on Madrid to reverse its shameful decision and reaffirm our solidarity with the Sahrawi people living under occupation and in exile," the British organization affirmed in a statement.
Expressing dismay at the decision of the Spanish government to turn its back on the people of Western Sahara and on UN Security Council resolutions 658 and 690, the British organization said that this change of position was made without reference, discussion or agreement with the Sahrawis, "a fact that illustrates Madrid's scandalous abandonment of its responsibilities.
In its statement, the organization deplored Madrid's position in favor of the so-called Moroccan "autonomy" plan, instead of supporting the Sahrawis' right to determine their own future under international law, through a referendum.
"Morocco's fake autonomy plan is only a device to support its military occupation of a large part of Western Sahara and its campaign to eliminate the Sahrawi national and cultural identity," the organization wrote.
It added: "All governments have a responsibility to uphold the rights enshrined in the UN Charter. Spain has an additional moral responsibility towards the Sahrawis, being the former colonial power that ceded Western Sahara to Morocco".
WSC UK estimated that the Spanish government's decision "would mean that it can no longer play any constructive role in the already discredited UN Group of Friends".
It "works in solidarity with the Sahrawi people to generate political support to advance their right to self-determination and promote their human rights," concluded Western Sahara Campaign UK.
062/T