New York, April 29, 2015 (SPS) - “The peace process in Western Sahara cannot remain indefinitely hostage of the blackmail of the Moroccan occupier,” stated Mr. Boukhari Ahmed, Polisario Front’s Representative to the UN, in press statement issued following the adoption by the Security Council of the Resolution 2218 on Western Sahara on Tuesday.
The diplomat underlined that maintaining the current status quo in Western Sahara “may lead to the collapse of the efforts of the United Nations and, consequently, to the unknown in a region that faces so many challenges.”
“The Frente Polisario calls upon the Security Council to fully assume the responsibilities that are his in ensuring full implementation of the mandate of MINURSO which remains that of holding a free and fair referendum to allow the Saharawi people to decide freely and peacefully their future,” said Mr. Boukhari Ahmed.
He also recalled that the Polisario Front’s cooperation “has been and will remain always and only in the framework of the United Nations commitment, which is the holding of a referendum on self-determination for the people of Western Sahara.”
He highlighted that the Frente Polisario has taken note of the resolution that the Security Council has just adopted on the Western Sahara, on Tuesday, April 28, 2015, by which it reaffirmed its support for direct negotiations between the Polisario Front and Morocco to reach a solution that would guarantee the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination in accordance with the principles set forth in the Charter of the United Nations.
“This adoption comes after the debate of the April 22, 2015 on the report of the secretary-general during which the majority of the members of the Council have stressed their deep concern at the persistence of the status quo in Western Sahara, their support for the right to self-determination of the Saharawi people as well as their concern for the situation of human rights, systematically violated by the Moroccan forces of occupation, and the persistence of the illegal exploitation of natural resources of the Territory,” indicated the statement.
On other hand, the diplomat welcomed the “clear and unequivocal” position expressed by the African Union and deplored the position of France, which remains the main obstacle to a just and lasting peace in the Western Sahara. (SPS)
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