Only Referendum Will Settle Western Sahara Conflict - Envoy
allAfrica.com: Africa: Only Referendum Will Settle Western Sahara Conflict - Envoy:INTERVIEW
Saharawi Republic Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Oubi Bachir, talks on the move for self-determination of Western Sahara people and the Moroccan obstacle among other things. Excerpts....
What's the latest development in Western Sahara concerning the issue of human rights and self determination of the Saharawi people?
Lately, there was a meeting of the United Nations Security Council in April this year where the issue of human rights and political settlement of the issue were discussed in details. Of course, Morocco is still dragging foot on the issues of human rights and referendum. But, because of the growing concern within the international community about the abuse of human rights of the Saharawi civilians inside the occupied territory, it became the vocal point of the conflict in Western Sahara.
The UNSC and the international community at large are trying to implement the recommendations made by all international human right organizations including Human Right Watch, Amnesty International, Front Line, International Organization Against Torture and even the office of the UN Human Rights.
All of them agreed that there is urgent need for the United Nations to monitor the human rights violations in the occupied territory by expanding its mandate beyond mere monitoring of cease fire. But Morocco does not want this prerogative to be given to the UN mission in the occupied territory because they are hiding brutal actions and want to carry on with the same atrocities without any international witness in the territory.
So the issue attracted intensive discussions inside UN Security Council and there was explicit reference in the resolution adopted by the UNSC that there is a need to improve the human right situation in the territory and find a mechanism where some viable and impartial information would be channelled through the UNSC. But France is supporting Morocco blindly even in this specific case of human rights violation. France should not be adopting that position because it's a country known to be championing the cause of human rights all over the world. Western Sahara cannot be made an exception in this French tradition of being supportive to the oppressed people.
What is the political situation now in Western Sahara aside from the international community's efforts to curb the incessant violation of human right in the occupied territory?
On the political side, we are still in a stalemate because Morocco does not want the referendum to take place and for us and the international community the only way to settle the conflict is to give the people the floor and let them decide. If people want to be Moroccans it is up to them but Morocco cannot come with one option and impose it on the Saharawi people, it didn't work in the past and even now it is most unlikely because all of these wind of democracy and freedom that is sweeping the Arab world. It is really high time for the Moroccans to understand that it is no longer possible to keep a strong hold on the Saharawi people and the referendum will remain the only way to settle the conflict democratically and according to international law since the issue of Western Sahara is an issue of decolonisation and the UN doctrine in that regard is very clear that the people should be ask genuinely about what they want on their future and destiny. Those are basically the big issues of difference between the Saharawi and Morocco sides and the United Nations is seriously trying to get it resolve.
On the issue of human rights, if Morocco is not hiding something and is really respecting human rights as they claim, why do they express fear from the United Nations being responsible to issue report on the human rights situation. We said that we will call the UN to monitor the human rights situation both in the liberated area and the refugee camps because Moroccans are making some spurious claims but we said that we are ready for the UN. The liberated area and refugee camps are open to everybody as thousands of foreigners coming every year to see and to explore what the situation is but Morocco is refusing any presence of international community in the territory and any mandate from the UN to supervise the human rights situation which means they are hiding what was unveiled by all those delegations of the humanitarian international organisations in their reports. So those are basically where we are now on the two points.
Is there any other recent move by anybody in getting the issue resolved?
Recently, especially on the part of human rights there was three major developments. One is the Robert Kennedy Centre for Human Rights and Liberty in the United States which sent a fact finding mission to the territory of Western Sahara both the occupied territory and refugee camps. They met with the people on ground, discuss, listen and try to find testimonies from all over. When they went back to the US, they release their report which was very critical with Morocco saying Morocco is systematically abusing the very basic rights of the people in the occupied territory and asking explicitly for the United Nations to take the responsibility since the UN already has a mission in the territory to be responsible for monitoring of the situation of human rights. That I think is a major step forward in getting this crisis resolved.
The second step was the one taken by African Human Right Commission (AHRC) because they sent a delegation led by a Nigerian lawyer and they went to the refugee camps and the liberated area of Western Sahara, they made their investigations and sent a letter to Morocco that they want to go to the occupied area to do the same thing. Morocco refuse to grant them visa and access to the territory and they came with the report about the situation in Western Sahara where they commended the Saharawi authorities for their cooperation for the free access they gave them as well make an appeal to international community to pay more attention to the course of human rights.
The third one which is sort of very important breakthrough was the report made by the one of the committees of the United States Congress where they put a condition that for any military action to be carried out by Morocco at Western Sahara it must respect international codes on human rights. They asked the Department of State to issue its report on the human rights situation in the Western Sahara. The report of US Department of State was released some days ago which was also very critical of Morocco, thus confirming all previous reports by other international organisations. Now we think that we are at the point where Morocco cannot resist this momentum because the pressure is coming from all over especially on the issue of human rights and the referendum.
On the UN itself, Ambassador Christopher Ross who is the UN special envoy to Western Sahara and the main mediator in the conflict chairing all those rounds of negotiations between the Polisario Front and Morocco. In the beginning of this year, Morocco expressed very clearly its rejection and veto on Christopher Ross to carry on with his mission as the UN special envoy, accusing him of being bias and on the side of the Saharawi, saying he cannot continue with his job. But they faced a very clear resistance both in the side of the United Nations and the United States where Ross is coming from. The UN and US are following the process and know that Ross was not bias. Unfortunately, that was not the direction Morocco wanted because they want somebody who would just help them to trick the whole process.
Fortunately, because of the firm stand from the UN and US, Morocco is now obliged to live with Christopher Ross. So he has been confirmed as the UN special envoy to the Western Sahara and we have a lot of faith in the process going on thinking that with his expertise, experience and vast knowledge about the conflict and all the dynamics in the region, we think is the most qualified person to carry on with responsibility of this mediation in the conflict and hopeful that with just a little of political will from the side of Morocco, I believe we can succeed in decolonising the territory of Western Sahara and given the right of the people to self determination which is the ultimate mandate of both UN mission and the special envoy.
Has there been any negotiation or talk between the Polisario Front that is championing the course of Saharawi independence and Moroccan authorities?
There is future round of talks between the parties, that is Polisario Front and the Kingdom of Morocco under the auspices of the UN and Ambassador Ross, though the date is not yet determined. But in the coming month we are expecting the report by Ross, by November 8 to the United Nations Security Council where he will speak about all these things and give indications about the time and the frame work of the next rounds of talk.
What is African Union stand on the issue since Morocco is said to have walked out of the union over this same issue?
African Union as you know is a Pan African organisation which reflects both African history and principles. One of the founding principles of the African Union is the solidarity with the issues of freedom, right to self determination and right to liberty and independence.
So decolonisation and freedom is part of history of Africa as a whole that is why since the beginning AU it has been on the side of Saharawi people for right to self determination and independence. This position was formalised by the admission of the Saharawi Republic as the full fledge member in the Organisation of Africa Unity in 1984 which later changed to AU.
The AU's position is very clear. Of course, the AU got representative within the UN mission in the territory of Western Sahara on a permanent basis and the AU is supporting the referendum of self determination as the only way to settle the conflict. AU is rejecting the Moroccan occupation of the territory because the essence is the challenge for one of the rules of Africa which is the strict respect of the inherited borders from the colonial era.
So Morocco invaded a territory which was very clearly the border of the Saharawis and was very clearly shown by the foundation of colonialist which violated one of the founding rules of the AU but of course the AU support the right of the people of Western Sahara to independence and to self determination. And it is cooperating with the UN to get the conflict settled and on the human right. I have mentioned the position of African Human Right Commission which is one of the bodies of the AU.
Partly the issue is in the hand of UN but AU is there within the UN mission in the territory and in New York where the representative of AU are trying all the time to make the voices of Africa heard within the UN to settle the conflict on the legal ground which is the respect of the right to self determination of the people of Western Sahara.
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