New York, Oct 13, 2012 (SPS) - Timor-Leste has expressed support to the direct negotiations between the Frente POLISARIO and Morocco under the auspices of the United Nations, voicing support to the right of Saharawi people to self-determination, during meeting of the UN Fourth Committee on Friday.
Maria Mesquita Mendonça Gusmão, Timorese Permanent Mission to the UN, said that her country’s position on Non-Self-Governing Territories “is based on the principles enshrined in the country’s constitution, which stipulated that Timor-Leste should be in solidarity with peoples’ struggle for national liberation.”
In this regard, Ms. Gusmão added that Timor-Leste supports the right of the people of Western Sahara to self-determination and urges all parties to the conflict of Western Sahara, Front POLISARIO and Morocco, to come to a peaceful resolution of the issue.
She also took note of some positive developments outlined in the Secretary-General’s report on the situation of Western Sahara, welcoming confidence-building measures between the parties.
While discussions on issues such as de-mining, resources and fisheries were ongoing, Timor-Leste welcomed the agreement to hold a high-level meeting in Geneva on natural resources and to begin building a common database on resources, concluded Gusmão. (SPS)
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