Oslo, March 19, 2015 (SPS) - Norway on Wednesday voiced, through the voice of its Foreign Affairs Minister Mr. Børge Brende, support to an extension of the MINURSO mandate to include human rights monitoring and reporting, expressing support to UN’s work for a political solution to the conflict of Western Sahara.
Answering a question from MP Åsmund Aukrust regarding the human rights in Western Sahara, quoted by the Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara, Brende indicated “Norway’s principled position is that all UN operations should have a human rights mandate.”
Through our UN delegation in New York, said Norway’s FM, we have ongoing informal consultations with our close allies on a strengthening of the MINURSO mandate, adding that Norway will proceed with more formal consultations if an opportunity opens for a strengthening the mandate.
The minister underlined that Norway has on numerous occasions raised the issue of an expansion of the MINURSO mandate with France, most recently in a conversation with French FM Laurent Fabius on Tuesday 17 March, with French authorities in a staff level meeting May last year, in a meeting between the embassy and French MFA in March this year, and with the French UN delegation in both New York and Geneva earlier this month.
Confirming that human rights situation remains a central element in the talks between Norway and Morocco, the official said he on 15 March underlined to Moroccan authorities that human rights of the Saharawi population need to be guaranteed. (SPS)
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