Algiers, March 31, 2013 (SPS) - Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for Western Sahara, Christopher Ross, is expected to arrive today, Sunday, in Algiers as part of a regional tour.
Mr. Ross will hold talks with Algerian officials on the question of Western Sahara.
At the end of his visit to the Saharawi refugee camps, Mr. Ross stated that his visit aims at “seeking solutions to the Western Sahara issue in line with the Security Council’s resolutions.”
“The grave situation in the Sahel region and its neighborhood makes a solution to Western Sahara issue more urgent than ever,” Mr. Ross told the press, adding that he had talks with the Polisario Front and its secretary general Mr. Mohamed Abdelaziz and representatives of the civil society in the aim “to achieve suitable means to enhance the process of negotiations.”
“I will present the outcome of my tour to Nouakchott and Algiers to the Security Council on April 22,” he added.
Mr. Ross paid a visit to the occupied city of El Aaiun, capital of Western Sahara, where he met a wide range of members of families of the political prisoners of Gdeim Izik.
On this occasion, a paper was presented on the various stages of the trial and the harsh sentences handed down by the military court in Rabat against the Group.
Families of the prisoners took the opportunity to draw the attention of UN Secretary General’s Personal Envoy Christopher Ross regarding the flagrant violations of human rights and systematic looting of Western Sahara wealth.
On the same occasion, members of the Sahrawi Committee of Defense of Saharawi People Self-Determination informed Ross about serious situation prevailing in Western Sahara, calling on the UN to fulfill its responsibilities.
They also asked the UN envoy to ensure that MINURSO can perform its mission as an international mission to protect, monitor and report on the situation of human rights, in the context of performing its primary mission that is to organize a referendum on self-determination for the Saharawi people. (SPS)
090/089/TRA