New York, Dec 11, 2011 (SPS) - The General Assembly of the United Nations adopted Friday a resolution reaffirming on a solution that enables self-determination of the people of Western Sahara in accordance with the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples.
With this resolution recommended by the UN Fourth Committee for Special Political Affairs and Decolonization, the General Assembly “supports the negotiation process initiated by the resolutions of the Security Council since 2007 to reach a just, lasting and mutually acceptable solution that allows self-determination of the people of Western Sahara,” stated the resolution.
In addition, the General Assembly requested the Special Committee of 24 to study the situation regarding the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples and to continue following the situation in Western Sahara, which had been adopted previously last October by the UN 4th Committee after a week of debate by the Member States of the UN and the International civil society.
It also welcomed “the commitment of the parties, Polisario Front and Morocco, to continue demonstrating the political will and work in an atmosphere propitious for dialogue in order to enter, in good faith and without preconditions, into a more intensive phase of negotiations, taking into consideration the efforts and developments since 2006, and ensuring the implementation of resolutions of the Security Council related to the success of negotiations.”
The resolution reaffirmed on the responsibility of the United Nations towards the people of Western Sahara,” and praised in this regard the efforts of the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his Personal Envoy, Christopher Ross, on this issue.
Recalling the formal and informal meetings held between the Polisario Front and Morocco since 2007, the resolution called on all parties and States of the region to fully cooperate with the Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy and with each other.”
It is noteworthy that the last informal meeting between the Polisario Front and Morocco held on July had not reached a substantial progress. In this regard, Mr. Ross said at the end of the 8th round that “both parties to the conflict continued to reject the proposal of the other as the sole basis for future negotiations, while reiterating their commitment to work together to find a political solution in accordance with relevant resolutions of the Security Council of the United Nations.”
From his part, the Head of the Saharawi negotiating delegation, Mr. Khatri Addouh, stressed that “the UN is more than ever committed to a solution guaranteeing the right to self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, but Morocco is determined to block the ongoing efforts and feared the results of a democratic consultation of the Saharawi people.”
Both sides were engaged in direct negotiations in June 2007 under the aegis of the UN, with four (4) rounds that took place in Manhasset (New York), and eight (8) informal meetings in Vienna (Austria), Valletta (Malta) and Manhasset. (SPS)
090/089/TRA