Algiers, Aug 17, 2013 (SPS) - President of the European Conference of Coordination and Support to the Saharawi People (EUCOCO), Pierre Galand denounced Thursday in Algiers France’s "perverse" role, which blocs the enlargement of Minurso mandate to include human rights monitoring in Western Sahara.
In a statement to APS on the occasion of his meeting with Sahrawi human rights defenders, Galand said that the record of the expansion of the mandate of MINURSO (UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara) "progressed positively at the security Council but, he lamented, France played a perverse role in blocking this project."
"So we thought this year would experience a broadening of MINURSO mandate, given the measure already contained in the report of the UN Secretary-General and at the same time this project came within the Security Council - France has met the expectations of Morocco by blocking by its veto, "he lamented.
Galand said that France "claiming cradle of human rights had a quite inconsistent and unacceptable attitude" on this issue.He called on France to change its position with respect to the Saharawi question "if she really wants to have some credibility on human rights at the international level. (SPS)
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