Santiago, 8 Abril 2023 (SPS) - The Latin American and Caribbean Platform of Solidarity with the Sahrawi People (PLACSO) expressed Wednesday its support for the proposal of the Colombian President, Gustavo Petro, regarding the participation of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) in the Ibero-American summits as an observer member.
PLACSO director Esteban Silva of Chile welcomed the Colombian president's proposal and told Cronica digital that inviting African countries as observers to Ibero-American summits, including SADR, is a form of "deep recognition of Spanish-speaking African peoples and nations and their struggles."
"In this sense, President Gustavo Petro's proposal has the full support of our Platform and allied organizations which, in short, are peoples of the region in solidarity with just causes, such as the Saharawi cause," Silva said.
"We hope that, along with the inclusion of the SADR as an observer at the next Ibero-American summit, the ongoing decolonization processes will be addressed and a position of respect for the right to self-determination of peoples in the issue of Western Sahara will be observed," concluded the director of PLACSO, recalling that this issue has been addressed since 1963 in the Fourth Committee of the United Nations in charge of Special Political and Decolonization Issues
The Saharawi ambassador in charge of Latin America and the Caribbean, Mohamed Azrouk, had recently indicated that SADR would soon submit an application to join the Ibero-American summit as an observer member, despite the opposition of the Spanish government, accused by the diplomat of becoming "the speaker of the Moroccan occupier in such events".
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