Western Sahara: Polisario Front emphasizes the need to enable MINURSO to play its role - APS

CHAHID EL HAFEDH (Saharawi Refugee Camp)- The Polisario Front has emphasized the need to accelerate the empowerment of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) to play its full role in protecting and monitoring human rights, by ensuring its independence and its freedom of movement, Sahara Press Service (SPS) reported Tuesday.

The Polisario Front "emphasizes the need to enable the MINURSO to play its role as an international mission (…) responsible for the protection of human rights by ensuring its independence and freedom of movement in order to enable it to accomplish its first mission, the organization of a referendum for self-determination of Saharawi people," SPS said quoting a statement at the closing of a meeting chaired by President of Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz.

The bureau of the Polisario Secretariat welcomed favorably the visit of the United Nations General Secretary’s Special representative Wolfgang Weisbrod-Weber to the parties in conflict, i.e. the Polisario Front as a legitimate and the only representative of Saharawi people and Morocco," according to the same source.

The Polisario Front also reiterated the "readiness" of the Saharawi side to "collaborate" with the UN mission for Western Sahara decolonization "as soon as possible."

Furthermore, the Polisario Front condemned the policy of "obstruction" pursued by the Moroccan occupation authorities, which decided to cease all collaboration with Christopher Ross, the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary General.

The Polisario Front welcomed "the release of the European aid worker, the Spanish Ainhoa Fernandez Rincon and Enric Gonyalons and the Italian Rossella Urru, congratulating their families and the Saharawi people for their safety.

It also expressed its "indignation and refusal" to this "terrorist and criminal" act, recalling "the close connection between the activities of the perpetrators and drug trafficking."