Melbourne, July 27, 2015 (SPS) - The Labor Party of Australia has called on the United Nations (UN) to proceed with the referendum in Western Sahara without further delay, voicing strong support to the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination.
In a motion adopted at their conference held in Melbourne on July 24-26, the Australian Labor Party urged Government “to extend all due assistance to the UN in its efforts to organise a free and fair referendum in Western Sahara, and to maintain an appropriate dialogue with the Polisario Front, UN-acknowledged representatives of the people of Western Sahara.”
The motion expresses “concerns about reports of human rights abuses in Western Sahara, including by Human Rights Watch and Resolution 282 moved this year by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.”
It, in this respect, urged the UN “to use its mission in Western Sahara to monitor and uphold human rights, and ensure that any use of the natural resources of Western Sahara is in accordance with the wishes of the Saharawi people and for their benefit.”
The conference was an opportunity for the Polisario Front’s Representative to Australia Mr. Kamel Fadel to extend gratitude for the support and solidarity with the Saharawi people have long demonstrated by the Party. (SPS)
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