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United Nations
10 October 2007
General Assembly
GA/SPD/373
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Department of Public Information o News and Media Division o New York
Sixty-second General Assembly
Fourth Committee
4^th Meeting (PM)
MAINTAINING FOCUS ON WESTERN SAHARA, FOURTH COMMITTEE HEARS 23 MORE
PETITIONERS
The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) continued
its consideration of decolonization items this afternoon, hearing 23
petitioners on the question of Western Sahara, against the backdrop of
recent negotiations between Morocco and the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro (POLISARIO Front)
regarding the disputed Territory.
A clear divide emerged between those who welcomed Morocco's autonomy
proposal as the only hope for a lasting solution to the conflict and
those who greeted that proposal with scepticism and maintained that a
referendum of self-determination was the only solution to this
decolonization issue -- on the United Nations list of
Non-Self-Governing Territories since the 1960s.
Khaddad el Moussaoui, who had participated in the proposal's
development as Vice-President of Conseil consultatif des affaires
sahariennes (CORCAS) Maroc, said that the proposal would allow the
Saharawi people to take care of their own affairs. It had been
subjected to broad national consultations, in the context of a
democratic, inclusive and transparent framework.
Morocco's autonomy proposal, which had been submitted to the United
Nations Secretary-General in April, was a "laudable and democratic
proposal that has been largely approved by the international
community", said Lord Newall, President of the International Committee
for the Tindouf Prisoners. It would allow for a final agreement to be
submitted for a referendum by the Saharawis.
Other speakers said that Morocco's proposal did not adequately reflect
the principle of self-determination, which was a basic human right.
It also did not meet the criteria for "negotiations without
preconditions", as called for in Security Council resolution 1754
(2007).
Norman Paech, a member of the German Bundestag and a professor of
international public law, said that by limiting its willingness to
negotiate to a form of autonomy within the Moroccan borders and under
the rule of its King, Morocco was imposing preconditions. "A right of
self-determination that was limited to autonomy within another State,
and that excluded from the outset the possibility of independence, was
no such thing", he said.
Several speakers focused their concerns on humanitarian aid intended
for the refugee population, which they said was being diverted by the
POLISARIO leadership and their Algerian authorities. Petitioners
called for an international commission to investigate such criminal
practices, including one who said that humanitarian aid -- like food
and baby milk - was being sold at exorbitant prices by POLISARIO and
their Algerian "masters", who had sunk to an "all-time low".
Another speaker noted that, although urgent appeals had been made to
the international community to assist, it was difficult to plan a
course of action without having conducted proper assessments.
Algerian authorities had systematically refused to allow the
humanitarian organizations to conduct a census in the camps, to
establish the exact number of people needing help.
A parliamentarian from Belgium said his Government had launched a
humanitarian mission comprising Belgian officials and others that
would begin work in Western Sahara this week. He pledged to return
next year to report the findings.
Also speaking today were the Deputy of Seine-Maritime and Mayor of
Gonfreville l'Orcher, France; a representative of the Italian
Interparliamentary Group for Friendship with Saharawi People; a member
of the Association of the Friends of the Saharawi Arab Democratic
Republic; President of the Jaima Saharawi Associal of Reggio Emilia,
Italy; Chairman of the Surrey Three Faiths Forum; the former President
of the Belgian Interparliamentary Group for Peace in the Western
Sahara; and Vice-President of the National Coordination of Forza.
Also: Policy Adviser and Chairman, Action Internationale Femmes;
Assistant at the Centre of International Law and the Political Science
Faculty of Université Libre de Bruxelles; the former President of the
Canary Islands; a representative of the International Relations
Commission of the Municipality of Naples; three students; President,
Women Centrist Democrat International; President, Eusko Alkartasuna; a
member of Universidad Autonoma de Madrid; and Vice-President, European
Free Alliance.
The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. tomorrow, 11 October, to
continue its general debate on decolonization.
Background
The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) met this
afternoon to hear petitioners on the question of Western Sahara.
(Reports before the Committee are summarized in Press Release
GA/SPD/371.)
Petitioners on Question of Western Sahara
JEAN-PAUL LECOQ, Deputy of Seine-Maritime and Mayor of Gonfreville
l'Orcher, France, expressed hope that the Moroccan and Saharawi people
would begin a dialogue in good faith. The town of Gonfreville, and
that of J'refia, a Western Sahara village, were "sister cities", and
his townspeople were in solidarity with the Saharawi people of
J'refia, residing in Tindouf camps. The Secretary-General's efforts
in fostering dialogue between the two peoples were laudable, and it
was now up to the international community, and the countries that
maintained privileged relations with Morocco, to ensure the success of
those negotiations.
He said that the 30-year silence of Governments, political parties and
media made the Mediterranean basin a dangerous place, and the Maghreb,
an unstable one. The silence had been all too accommodating for
Morocco, which had occupied the Western Sahara for 30 years, while
blocking all attempts to implement an earlier settlement plan proposed
by the international community. In addition, the Moroccan autonomy
proposal would disavow previous commitments by the Moroccan
Government, and such irresponsibility was unacceptable.
While having accepted the settlement plan suggested by the United
Nations, Morocco had proceeded to postpone the date of the referendum
by blocking the identification of voters, he said. Also, Morocco had
left the Organization of African Unity because it recognized the
Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic; Morocco never failed to prohibit
any mention of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic within the
international organizations where it belonged. Particularly worrying
was the repression of Saharawi citizens, who dared to fight the
"Moroccanization" of the Sahara. It was time for the Committee to
insist on an end to Morocco's intransigent policies.
Lord NEWALL, President of the International Committee for the Tindouf
Prisoners, said there had been many instances of human rights
violations by the Algerian military, not only against the people in
the Tindouf camps and the former Moroccan prisoners, but also against
their own compatriots. Those violations had taken place after the
suspended 1991 elections, and which, in turn, had resulted in a bloody
civil war that cost the lives of more than 200,000 Algerians. Turning
to the Moroccan initiative, he said it was commendable because it
guaranteed the Saharawis democratic self-rule and the promise to run
their own affairs in the economic, administrative and social spheres.
Furthermore, the initiative had been adopted by the Landers in
Germany, by various regions in Spain and, to a certain extent,
Britain. He reminded the Committee that the Moroccan initiative
allowed for a final agreement, stemming from ongoing, un-sponsored,
direct negotiations, to be submitted to a referendum for the
Saharawis. In fact, it was a "laudable and democratic proposal that
has been largely approved by the international community".
Turning to Moroccan prisoners in Algerian prisons in Tindouf, he said
that they had been jailed in inhumane conditions for more than 25
years and were considered the longest-serving war prisoners in the
world. Those who died were buried in the desert, and their families
were calling on Algerian authorities to allow them to repatriate their
bodies. He hoped the remains of those Moroccan prisoners of war were
returned speedily. He called on those same authorities to compensate
those who died in Algerian prisons, and to respond favourably to the
families of the "disappeared". "After all, Algeria has earned $70
billion in oil revenues this year and could well afford to house and
feed the refugees, and compensate families for the suffering and
violation of human rights of their loved ones. This is not
happening", he said.
CARMEN MOTTA, Italian Parliament Intergroup of Friendship with
Saharawi People, said that the Italian Chamber of Deputies had
approved a motion in July to support the right to self-determination
of the Saharawi people. It followed a series of parliamentary
initiatives and missions to Western Sahara and Algerian refugee camps,
and testified to the Italian Parliament's concern with the matter.
Since there was no administrative authority to oversee the Territory's
social and economic development, or to guard the rights of its people,
that task should fall to the United Nations.
She said that the Secretary-General should ensure that the world
received impartial information on the health, education and
socio-economic conditions of the Saharawi people. Such information
should be transmitted to the Fourth Committee, the Security Council
and other interested intergovernmental organizations. The United
Nations should also act as an advocate on behalf of the Saharawi
people, on the issue of human rights and exploitation of natural
resources. The United Nations should formulate an economic
development programme for the Saharawi people, because, up to now, the
Organization's assistance programmes in the area had been modest.
Independent information, advocacy and stepped-up assistance from the
United Nations would support the efforts of the Secretary-General's
Personal Envoy and demonstrate to the Saharawi people that their
plight had not been forgotten by the rest of the world.
ALAIN DAUGER, Association des amis de la R épublique arabe sahraoui d
émocratique et Comit é limousin de solidarit é avec le peuple
sahraoui, said that the trampling of the elementary right of a people,
such as what was ongoing in Western Sahara, was a challenge for the
United Nations. Western Sahara was a country in which the rights had
been confiscated -- first and foremost, the right to
self-determination. The occupying Power, Morocco, had sought to
justify itself for more than 30 years, yet no nation recognized
Morocco's sovereignty. The Saharawi people, split in two halves,
continued to suffer. The exiled civilian population suffered from
lack of food, and were vulnerable to diseases. The Territory's
natural resources had been plundered by the occupying Power. In the
occupied Territories, the Moroccan forces humiliated the population,
including through torture, intimidation and disappearances.
He said that since the Saharawi people claimed no rights, but those
that were theirs, had demonstrated their respect for the law by
disavowing terrorism, had demonstrated their ability to organize in
the Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro
(POLISARIO Front) and had proved their patience and determination in
resolving the crisis by entering into recent negotiations in
Manhasset, he urged the Committee to make several recommendations to
the General Assembly. Those recommendations were: not letting the
question of Western Sahara pass in silence; recognizing the issue as
one of decolonization; and allowing the Saharawi population to be
effectively protected until a solution that conformed to international
law was established. He expressed the hope that the founding
principles of the United Nations Charter would prevail.
NORMAN PAECH, member of the German Bundestag and professor of
international public law, said the conflict in Western Sahara was one
of the last colonial conflicts awaiting resolution. Although the
International Court of Justice, in 1975, had called for a referendum
in which the Saharawi people could determine their future on the basis
of the right to self-determination, efforts since then -- including
by the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara
(MINURSO) and the peace plans proposed by the United Nations Special
Envoy James Baker -- had not led to the referendum. Moreover,
independent observers, such as the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Amnesty International, deplored
the miserable living conditions of the Tindouf camps' 90,000 refugees,
the existence of countless anti-personnel mines and sub-munitions,
which infested the country. Contact between families was continually
disrupted by the Moroccan military.
Against that background, he said, Security Council resolution 1754
(2007) was welcome. It called on both parties to enter into
"negotiations without preconditions in good faith". It deserved the
international community's support because it did not release the
United Nations from its obligations, and it called for the people of
Western Sahara to be allowed to exercise their right to
self-determination through a referendum. Noting that both sides had
submitted proposals, he said that Morocco, by limiting its willingness
negotiate to a form of autonomy within the Moroccan borders and under
the rule of its King, was imposing preconditions. A right of
self-determination that was limited to autonomy within another State,
and that excluded from the outset the possibility of independence, was
no such thing. It would only BE worthy of the name if it allowed the
people to take a free and unrestricted decision about their political
status and economic, social and cultural development. Only if both
sides gave that right the significance accorded to it by international
law would the negotiations bring the hoped for success.
CINZIA TERZI, President, Jaima Saharawi Associal of Reggio Emilia,
Italy, said MINURSO had done little to mitigate the human rights
situation there. In 1996, MINURSO was accused by Amnesty
International of being a "silent witness" to human rights violations
against the Saharawi civilians, and behaved like spectators in May
1995, October 1999, and the summer of 2005, when peaceful
demonstrations in El Ayoun, Western Sahara, were violently suppressed
by Moroccan security forces.
She said that Morocco kept tight control over the flow of information,
inside and outside Western Sahara, and that, after the 2005 intifada,
many foreign politicians and activists were blocked at the airport.
But the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, who visited
the Tindouf refugee camps in May 2006, had declared that almost every
violation of human rights towards the Saharawi people stemmed from not
applying the right to self-determination. In a report that was not
made public, the High Commissioner asked the international community,
acting through the Security Council and the Secretary-General, to
arrive at a political solution acceptable to both sides. Indeed, some
European countries had encouraged Morocco's "politics of occupation
and human rights violations" in Western Sahara. There was no hope of
security and economic development in the Maghreb region until the
conflict was resolved.
SYDNEY S. ASSOR, Chairman, Surrey Three Faiths Forum, began by
addressing a comment made by a previous petitioner on microcredit, to
which he said the people of Western Sahara did not benefit from such a
facility. Next, he asked for Algeria to open its refugee camps to
observers, and, finally, on a comment regarding Morocco's "medieval
Government" -- he reminded those present that elections had been held
there three weeks ago, resulting in three opposition parties sharing
power.
He went on to express hope that the United Nations would enact a
similar initiative to that of the European Union, which was opening a
permanent base in Tindouf to oversee the distribution of aid to the
detainees of POLISARIO. So much aid had been rerouted, leaving many
in despair. The Organization should also insist that the Algerians
and the POLISARIO accelerate the course of implementation for such an
initiative, so as to bring succour to the detainees, especially with
winter fast approaching. He also invited those who had read the plans
for the autonomous region to help with its acceptance and
implementation, so that he did not have to continue to beg to be
allowed to visit the detainees.
As for those that had not read the plan, he asked them to do so. In
so doing, they would then see how much Morocco had invested in order
to reach a fair solution to the problem. Indeed, the
Secretary-General's report to the Security Council on negotiations on
the Sahara region had shown much progress, and there had been the
positive appreciation of the Moroccan initiative. On the basis of
that, he appealed to the Committee to end the despair, intemperate
action of jailers, hunger and disease. Because he had so frequently
reminded the Committee of the catastrophic food shortages in the
Tindouf Camps, a problem "created by the POLISARIO and Algerian
authorities", he said he would not list the many organizations that
had identified the misappropriation and rerouting of humanitarian aid.
JACINTA DE ROECK, former president, Belgian Interparliamentary Group
for Peace in the Western Sahara, said that, while a new dynamic
existed in the Western Sahara conflict since the Moroccan autonomy
proposal was introduced in the spring, she expressed some reservations
about the proposal and its presentation by a Moroccan delegation
dispatched to explain it to European leaders, the Belgian Parliament
among them. Yet, the world should not look back, but aim for a future
solution.
Unfortunately, she said, the question of Western Sahara still lacked
support in the international political world. There was much
ignorance on the issue, and the political attention span of many
politicians reached no farther than "their own backyard". Still, it
was the solemn duty of the international community to motivate, make
aware and incite the rest of the world -- particularly the younger
generation -- to support the Saharawi people in their fight for
self-determination. Most Saharawis, whether under occupation or in
exile, were determined to fight for that inalienable right. Morocco
should respect human rights, democracy and international law, and make
them the foundation of their autonomy proposal, instead of following
the path of oppression and violating international law, as it had done
thus far. The rest of the world should stay focused on that conflict,
increase pressure on Morocco to meet its social, political and legal
duties, and make the world remember that the issue was all about the
simple right of each people to decide their future.
MIRCO CARLONI, Vice-President, National Coordination of Forza, Italy,
said the question of Western Sahara still inflamed relations between
the Maghreb countries, and hindered development between northern and
southern countries of the Mediterranean basin. The United Nations
referendum process had met insurmountable obstacles due to the
"particularities of the Saharawi population", which was concerned with
the referendum and its operation. To overstep that stalemate, the
international community had called on the two parties to enter into
negotiations. While POLISARIO and Algeria had adopted an
uncompromising stand, Morocco had shown great willingness to enter
direct negotiations, and had proposed to grant the Saharawis autonomy
with a parliament, a government and a judicial organ within the
framework of Morocco's national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He said that the recent rounds of negotiations in Manhasset between
the two parties were a positive step, and the leadership of POLISARIO
and Algeria should act with more flexibility. The next round of
negotiations should bring hope for the autonomy plan and the
subsequent establishment of stability and union in the Maghreb.
There had been massive human rights violations, forced deportations to
Cuba, torture, summary executions and inhuman treatment suffered by
the population of the Tindouf camps, he said. Humanitarian aid for
that population had been embezzled and resold on the black markets in
neighbouring countries, for the benefit of POLISARIO leaders, while
the people of the camps lived in precarious conditions. He called for
the UNHCR to conduct a census of the Saharawi people. He also called
for the United Nations and the international community to: give
support to the negotiations, leading to a self-determination
referendum; to put an end to the inhuman, cruel and degrading
treatment in the refugee camps; allow non-governmental organizations
to have access to the camps, and lift the blockage imposed on Tindouf
camps; and allow the Saharawi to return freely to their homeland.
REBECCA HERNANDEZ TOLEDANO ( Cuba) said she rejected what had just
been said about Cuba, characterizing the remarks as "slander" and "a
lie". Some 500 students studied in Cuba at different levels, which was
reported in document A/62/68/Add.1 before the Committee. Instead of
insulting Cuba with such comments, it would be a better use of time to
urge Member States to follow Cuba's example and offer more educational
opportunities to people in Non-Self-Governing Territories.
LATIFA AIT-BAALA, Policy Adviser and Chairman, Action internationale
femmes, voiced concern over the suffering of black ethnic minorities
and clandestine immigrants in Western Sahara, who were made into
slaves. The Manhasset negotiations presented an opportunity to end
their tragic situation. While waiting for those negotiations to
succeed, the humanitarian issue must be dealt with immediately.
Despite POLISARIO's declared intentions, they had been unable to
eradicate slavery, or to deal with the issue of racism. Information
on the issue was repressed. According to a report by Reporters
without Borders in May, two journalists, who went to the Tindouf camps
to work on a film, had been stopped by POLISARIO. Their materials had
been confiscated and detained, and they had been freed only through
MINURSO's intervention.
She said that members of her own organization had witnessed scenes of
slavery, and it called upon humanitarian organizations to denounce
that practice in Tindouf. Images from the camps that were broadcast
abroad did not often reflect the reality. Indeed, the POLISARIO
information services within Western Sahara had the mission of imposing
one way of thinking upon the inhabitants, with Saharawis offering
opposing views of being pegged as agents of Moroccan and Mauritanian
authorities and hunted down. The United Nations should ensure the
protection for civilian populations, and end the practice of slavery
in those camps. The perpetrators should be brought to justice.
TANYA WARBURG, Director, Freedom for All, said that since the
Committee had met last year, a new dynamism had been injected into the
long-running Western Sahara conflict with the Moroccan proposal for
autonomy. It aimed to establish a "pragmatic, permanent" solution,
and create lasting peace and stability. It also conformed to
international standards and was supported by an overwhelming majority
of Saharawi people. It was the best means of solving the conflict and
ending the appalling human rights abuses in the Tindouf camps, where
Saharawi refugees had been imprisoned, and denied the most basic human
rights and protections afforded by United Nations conventions. She
called for an international commission to investigate the human rights
violations and dispense justice in those Algeria-based camps.
Noting the ways in which the Moroccan autonomy proposal would uphold
the basic human rights and freedoms of the people in the camps, she
said the long-suffering refugees were entitled to expect that the
international community would come to their aid by supporting the
"innovative and far-sighted" Moroccan proposal. Currently, families
were forcibly separated in the Tindouf camps, and children were sent
abroad, as a means of enforcing compliance with POLISARIO's
totalitarian and authoritarian power. Such actions contravened many
articles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Fear,
intimidation and arbitrary punishment pervaded the camps; and freedom
of movement was restricted. The sale of humanitarian aid at
exorbitant prices by POLISARIO and their Algerian "masters" had sank
to an "all-time low" this summer. Saharawi refugees who had escaped
the camps had attested to a growing sense of despair at the extortion
and exploitation of goods, like food and baby milk, by the POLISARIO
leadership. She called on the Committee to promote a peaceful,
political solution to end the Saharawi refugees' sufferings through
negotiations between POLISARIO and Morocco.
VINCENT CHAPAUX, Assistant at the Centre of International Law and the
Political Science Faculty of the Université Libre de Bruxelles, said
Morocco's continued presence in Western Sahara was a breach of the
right to self-determination. Accordingly, every State within the
international community was obliged to end that act of violation of
international law. Such an obligation was neither moral nor ethical,
but juridical. There were those who would argue that international
law did not actually require States to put an end to the violation,
but that argument was fallacious. Such an obligation was "an
obligation of means", not a soft obligation.
Certainly, in cases where there was no available means to act, a State
could not bear responsibility for not having reached the objectives
the norm demanded, he continued. But on what material weakness could
all the States of the globe lean on to convince international law to
absolve them from having to put an end to the occupation of Western
Sahara? Indeed, once combined, the resources of all States would
easily solve the problem.
JANE BAHAIJOUB, Chairman, Family Protection, said she was encouraged
by the United Nations-sponsored talks between the conflicting parties,
since she had always said that a political solution was needed in
Western Sahara. While a political settlement was being negotiated,
the plight of the civilian population in the Tindouf camps -- who
lived in inhumane conditions -- must be addressed. Algerian
authorities had systematically refused to allow the International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the UNHCRto conduct a census in
the camps, to establish the exact number of people there and their
origin. She asked why.
She said that the Saharawis were a nomadic desert people, and enforced
confinement was a violation of their human rights. Also, there had
been a constant problem of food supplies to the camps, and urgent
appeals had been made to the international community without proof of
the number of people to be fed. Algerian authorities were strongly
requested to provide refugees with travel documents, so they might
choose where to live, and be allowed to "vote with their feet".
Answers must also be given regarding the fate of disappeared prisoners
in the camps, estimated to be between 350 and 500. The uncertainty of
their fate had profound psychological and physical impacts on families
and friends. She reiterated a request to recover the bodies buried in
49 graves near the main prison, "Hamdi Ba Sheikh", near the POLISARIO
headquarters at Rabouni. Those must be recovered by the victims'
families, and repatriated to their country. She appealed to Member
States to help end the conflict by considering the merits of the
proposed autonomy statute for the Sahara region.
DENIS DUCARME, a member of Belgian Parliament, said his statement was
delivered in the spirit of his Prime Minister's recent statements to
the General Assembly on the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Any developments in the Maghreb should uphold that Convention. The
Government of Belgium had recently heard from a number of Saharawis,
who testified about violations of the rights of the child -- testimony
that spoke of, among other things, forced labour, political
indoctrination, and the military training of children, all of which
should be dealt with in more intensive manner. His small country
should fully shoulder its responsibility. Towards that end, the
Government had set up a humanitarian mission, which would be "neutral
and objective", and composed of Belgian officials and others
interested in the rights of the child. It had begun work this week.
It would also include a team of psychologists, and be coordinated with
the Governments of Algeria, Morocco and Cuba. He pledged to return
next year and report on the findings, which would also be published.
Ms. HERNANDEZ TOLEDANO ( Cuba) again took the floor to reject what had
been said about her country. Certain comments raised by the previous
speaker were simply lies, fabricated to offend the generous people of
Cuba. Her country attached a particular importance to education,
believing it to be a moral duty of all Member States to offer
educational opportunities to Non-Self-Governing Territories.
She said that, every year, the General Assembly adopted a resolution
calling on Member States to offer education opportunities to students
of Non-Self-Governing Territories, including Saharawi students -- past
ones included 57/134, 58/105, 59/130 and 60/113. Each year, the
Secretary-General requested Member States to report on the
implementation of those resolutions. Cuba did so every year. More
than 500 Saharawi students were studying in Cuba, as reported in
document A/62/68/Add.1. Cuba offered such opportunities in solidarity
with the peoples of the world. Some 31,000 youths from the developing
world studied free of charge there. In 2007, 2,000 foreign students
graduated from Cuban universities, and there had been 47,000 students
in all from 120 countries, most of which were African.
Mr. DUCARME said rules of courtesy did not allow anyone to call a
parliamentarian such as himself a "liar". He had simply reported
testimony gathered by private individuals, which were certainly valid.
The CHAIRMAN of the Committee then reminded the speaker that he did
not have the floor.
Ms. HERNANDEZ TOLEDANO ( Cuba), raising a point of order, said the
speaker did not have the right to the floor. She asked that that be
reflected in the records, and said that such acts should not be
repeated in future.
The CHAIRMAN then gave the floor to the next petitioner.
LORENZO OLARTE CULLEN, former President of the Canary Islands, said
that Cuba, Venezuela, the Saharawi people and the Canary Islands had
always been brothers. Noting the history of the events that had led
to the Madrid Accords, he said the agreement had been signed with
respect for international standards. In the Canary Islands, the
Saharawi issue had always been followed and the Tindouf refugees had
been offered aid. Those subsidies had never been given to help the
Frente POLISARIO. Hopefully, the Saharawi people would not fall into
a cycle of violence, but they would only be able to avoid it if they
felt they were being considered on an equal footing with other
parties.
He felt that King Mohammed's autonomy proposal was "courageous", and
offered an arrangement that was unprecedented in Morocco. He
expressed solidarity with the people of Algeria, who had welcomed part
of the Saharawi people to their country, yet added that the desire for
lasting peace might find difficulty in Algeria's position. In any
case, full cooperation with the United Nations was essential. An
autonomy statute with full competence and statutes for an associated
State should respect the tenets of democracy, and must include an
elected parliament, a government headed by a president freely elected
by that parliament, and a higher court of justice comprised of
Saharawis. Other basic institutions should eventually be created,
including an ombudsman for human rights and freedoms and an economic
council, although prior negotiations were needed to constitutionally
include those. The autonomous region would need a fiscal regime
similar to the one enjoyed by the Canary Islands.
KHADDAD EL MOUSSAOUI, Vice-President, Conseil consultatif des affaires
sahariennes (CORCAS) maroc, said that Morocco, heeding the Security
Council's calls, had proposed an autonomy statute that would allow the
Saharawi people to take care of their own affairs. That initiative,
prepared through CORCAS, had been subjected to broad national
consultations, in the context of a democratic, inclusive and
transparent framework. The membership of CORCAS was broadly
representative of the region, and could give views on all matters
affecting the Territory. Among other things, its work included
proposing policies to allow for the return and reintegration of
Saharawi refugees, promoting reconciliation among Saharawis, and
ending conflicts.
He said that the autonomy statute prepared by CORCAS had been
presented to the King for approval, before being presented to the
United Nations. The President of CORCAS had then been received by the
Secretary-General and the Security Council, as the head of a body
representing the majority of Saharawis. Subsequently, Morocco had
participated in two negotiating rounds, in a spirit of openness. The
last legislative elections in Morocco had clearly showed that
Saharawis were willing to adhere to the democratic process of the
country, and had sent a clear signal to the international community
regarding their support for the initiative. POLISARIO, on the other
hand, had said it wanted a referendum, but that would simply prolong
the suffering of the people and risk bringing instability to the
Maghreb.
ALESSANDRO FUCITO, speaking on behalf of Rosa Russo Iervolino,
Municipal Advisor and President of the International Relations
Commission of the Municipality of Naples, said Naples had recently
been welcoming Saharawi children and promoting a better understanding
of their situation. It awarded an honorary citizenship to Aminattou
Haidar, a leader of Saharawi people, once imprisoned by Morocco. The
children that they hosted frequently came from refugee camps and were
not welcome in Moroccan schools. They were deprived of food and lived
in unsanitary conditions, not for the lack of resources, but because
of the absence of State institutions, which were only possible where
there were recognized States.
He asked that United Nations decisions regarding the right to
self-determination of the Saharawi people be acted upon and that a
referendum be held. Only through the exercise of international law
could people be granted the possibility of living in peace. Not to
insist on those international rights would signify support for those
who chose conflict and violence. He also asked that the Italian
representatives at the United Nations intervene on the basis of those
principles, and that the international community pursue the concerns
raised in the Secretary-General's report concerning human rights
violations. For that to happen, the mandate for MINURSO should be
extended to include vigilance on issues of human rights.
AGAILA ABBA HEMEIDA, a Saharawi student in the United States, said
that she had been born in a Saharawi refugee camp, which had been in
existence for 32 years and was one of the largest in the world. Like
thousands of other Saharawi people, her life had been greatly affected
by the conflict in Western Sahara. She had lost her father, her
health had been threatened and her family had suffered in the refugee
camps. Saharawis in the occupied Territory had suffered, as well.
People had been tortured, imprisoned and humiliated by the Moroccan
police, and that treatment was becoming a daily occurrence. The
occupation, which had started with the Green March in 1975, had
bombed, shut, raped, burned and destroyed the Saharawi people and
land. It had forced the nation's separation, with half in the
occupied Territories, half in the refugee camps - both waiting for the
promised referendum of self-determination. That promise had initially
given them hope, but that had been crushed.
Despite the nightmare and dark history of the past, she said that the
Saharawi people still waited in the desert heat for the promise of a
referendum. Its truth and principle of justice against colonialism
gave them hope still. Martin Luther King, Jr. had once said, "I have
a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true
meaning of its creed." The Saharawi people also had a dream of seeing
their colourful flag rise again and of freedom reigning in their
capital city, in a free Western Sahara.
ANNA MARIA STAME CERVONE, President, Women Centrist Democrat
International, said attention must be given to the civilian
population, which had suffered considerably. The question of Western
Sahara should have been resolved by the International Court of
Justice's advisory opinion, which recognized ties of loyalty and
sovereignty between the people of the land with the Kings of Morocco.
Unfortunately, the matter was used by Algeria as a political
instrument against Morocco.
She said that the inhabitants of Saharawi camps had risen up many
times against POLISARIO, to protest their precarious living
conditions. The Territory was a "marketplace of deceit", where the
trafficking of clandestine immigrants, cigarettes and other things
prospered. She was particularly outraged at POLISARIO's persistent
policy of sending children to Cuba, despite repeated calls by
non-governmental organizations to end that practice. Although she
welcomed Cuba's offer of educational opportunities, in the case of the
Saharawis, children as young as seven years old were forcibly removed
from their families to live in Cuba under Algeria documents. By the
time they reached 26 or 27 years of age, they had lost their
traditional ties to home and family.
Now that Morocco had put forward a proposal to grant autonomy to the
region, the United Nations and the international community were
duty-bound to lend it some support, she said, appealing to the
international community to pressure Algeria to find a solution to the
problem.
Ms. HERNANDEZ TOLEDANO, while acknowledging the respectful tone taken
by the previous speaker, said she regretted that the discussion had
become a diatribe against a policy of her country. In Cuba, all
students were guaranteed equal conditions. Cuba's educational
institutions promoted multiculturalism. Furthermore, a requirement of
granting scholarships to students was their commitment to return to
their country of origin. Finally, Cuba had a national commission that
accredited degrees obtained by students, and many countries recognized
those degrees, although there were exceptions.
BEGONA ERRAZTI, President of Eusko Alkartasuna, denounced the
occupation of Western Sahara by Morocco, and called for the exercise
of a democratic referendum for free self-determination, which would
counter the "false proposal" for autonomy made by Morocco. She
refuted several points made by prior petitioners that Western Sahara
was a Territory waiting for decolonization. Morocco was not an
administering Power, but an occupying Power. That occupation had not
been authorized by the United Nations; historical fact had not
legitimized Morocco's occupation. Only military force had been used
to legitimize it. The POLISARIO Front was a liberation front that had
been recognized as the only legitimate representative of the Saharawi
people by the United Nations.
She said that respect for the rights of the people of Western Sahara
must be considered, foremost among them, the right to
self-determination. A recent report by the Human Rights Commission
mentioned the stepping-up of human rights violations by Morocco.
Indeed, the repression exercised by Morocco was systematic.
Violations, such as the denial of freedom of movement and expression,
was documented in Amnesty International reports. She called on
MINURSO to monitor respect for human rights by Morocco in the occupied
Sahara.
GILONNE D'ORIGNEY, a student, said the Government of Spain, which she
called the administering Power of Western Sahara, should reassert its
authority and put an end to Morocco's occupation of Western Sahara,
"one of the vilest and grossest violations of human rights and
humanitarian law today". Nothing short of a vote for
self-determination by Saharawi would satisfy the process of
self-determination. The Saharawi should be allowed to choose between
several options of statehood, including independence. Morocco was
"not the legitimate business partner" for transactions in the
Territory; Spain was. Despite claims that an independent Western
Sahara would become a breeding ground for terrorists, the Saharawi and
POLISARIO had never engaged in terrorist acts against its people.
However, the same could not be said of Morocco.
She asked the Committee if it remembered East Timor and the work it
had done to make that country free. The occupation in Western Sahara
must end. The Saharawi should vote in a referendum. Morocco should
allow human rights organizations to access the Territory. Countries
who supported Morocco should reconsider their alliances and
decisions. Noting that many of the Committee's members represented
countries who had "walked the road to freedom and escaped
colonialism", she also asked the Committee if that road belonged only
to a few.
BERNABE LOPEZ GARCIA, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, said that,
although there had been many missed opportunities in the past to
promote peace in the region, the talks in Manhasset showed that a
consensus could indeed be reached, provided the parties involved acted
with courage. The initiative should not be viewed as a manoeuvre to
preserve the status quo. While it was true that, in the past,
relevant parties could have taken steps to lay a foundation for a
united Maghreb, the Madrid pact of 1975, for instance, merely replaced
one dictatorship with another.
He said that the parties to the current negotiations should remember
to ask for the right of return, amnesty for those who had participated
in the war, the return of all prisoners, while preserving a link
between the region and Morocco. Also, although Morocco had promised,
in principle, to a general amnesty, it should also promise to put an
end to the repressive policies practised in the region. It should,
for instance, help identify disappeared persons and restore dignity to
the communities that had been subjected to forms of collective
punishment.
ANA MIRANDA, Vice-President, European Free Alliance, with
responsibility for the Galician Nationalist Bloc, expressed solidarity
between the people of Galicia and the Saharawi people, and POLISARIO,
their legitimate representative, and called on the United Nations to
pursue a solution to the question of Western Sahara with greater
urgency. The question of Western Sahara was a decolonization matter
that demanded a forceful political answer through the
self-determination of the Saharawi people, and not via cosmetic
political measures that shamed the United Nations position in the
world. Western Sahara was a Non-Self-Governing Territory, and Morocco
had no title of sovereignty. Its annexation of the Territory was a
clear violation of international law. A referendum of
self-determination was not negotiable and would be the definitive
decolonization of the Spanish colony.
She said that the Saharawi people were an exiled people, who had been
deprived of their land, sea, air and natural resources. The European
Union was not free of responsibility in the matter. For example, it
had engaged in fishing agreements with Morocco. Also, the exiled
children in Tindouf's refugee camps survived in precarious conditions,
and the international community was complicit in allowing that
situation to continue. The Saharawi children must be allowed to live,
grow up and be educated in their own country.
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