New York (UN), Oct 8, 2017 (SPS) - Dr. Wouter H. Zaayman, Counsellor (Political) of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of South Africa has called for the exercise of the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination and independence in accordance with the General Assembly Resolution 1514 (XV), in a statement to the United Nations for the Special Committee on Decolonisation.
“It is a matter of serious concern that Western Sahara remains an outstanding self-determination matter on the African Continent. The General Assembly has consistently recognized the inalienable rights of the Sahrawi people's self-determination and independence, and called for the exercise of that right in accordance with the General Assembly Resolution 1514 (XV) containing the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples,” he said.
“The people of Western Sahara have been waiting for decades to exercise their right to self-determination and also to enjoy their freedoms as other nations around the world do. To think that there are people who were born in the camps and who are over 40 years, who have never tasted any freedom is a strong indictment on the international community.”
“It is encouraging that the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr Antonio Guterres, in August 2017 launched the negotiations process between the parties to the conflict in Western Sahara with a new dynamic and a new spirit with the appointment of Mr Horst Kohler, former President of Germany, as his Personal Envoy for Western Sahara succeeding Ambassador Christopher Ross. We take this time to thank Mr Ross for his commitment and tireless efforts to find a solution to the situation in Western Sahara. It is our hope that the new Secretary-General's Special Envoy will receive all the support he requires, in order to achieve a peaceful and lasting solution that fully respects the inalienable right of the people of Western Sahara to exercise their right to self-determination.”
“For its part, the African Union (AU) has remain strongly committed to the decolonization of Western Sahara, through the appointment of former President Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique as Special Envoy for Western Sahara in June 2014 and the adoption by the AU Assembly of a decision in June 2015, calling on the UN General Assembly to determine a date for the holding of the referendum for the self-determination for the people of Western Sahara,” concluded Dr. Wouter H. Zaayman, Counsellor (Political) of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of South Africa in his statement to the United Nations for the Special Committee on Decolonisation. (SPS)
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