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The Special Committee of 24 on Decolonization held a three-day Regional Seminar in Bandung (Indonesia) on 14-16 May 2008, and called on the two parties to the conflict in Western Sahara to enter more substantive negotiations “with a view to achieving a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara in the context of arrangements consistent with the principles and purposes of the Charter of the UN”.
The United Nations General Assembly’s Special Committee on the situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples () organizes annual seminars where representatives of the peoples of the Non-Self-Governing Territories and their administering Powers, non-governmental and regional organizations, and experts, can hold focused and frank discussions on the issues of decolonization.
Representing Western Sahara, POLISARIO Front’s Representative to Australia, Kamal Fadel, reaffirmed that the only viable and democratic resolution for the question of the last colony in Africa is a free, fair and transparent referendum under the auspices of the United Nations and the African Union, in his intervention before the Special Committee of 24 on Decolonization, which.
Stressing that the responsibility of the United Nations towards the Saharawi people must be upheld, Kamal Fade declared that “The Frente POLISARIO is ready and willing to cooperate in the rigorous implementation of the resolutions of the Security Council which reaffirm the validity and relevance of the principle of self-determination for the people of Western Sahara” .
The opening ceremony of the Seminar was held in the same venue as the historic Asian-African Conference of 1955, which heralded the binning of the Non-Aligned Movement.
The Chairman of the Special Committee Ambassador R. M. Marty Natalegawa, said that, while much progress had been made in decolonization, the Committee’s work was far from complete.
“It remains an unfinished business and much remains to be done,” Mr. Natalegawa said.
That view was also voiced by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. In a message delivered on his behalf at the Seminar’s opening by Freda Mackay, Chief of the Decolonization Unit in the Department of Political Affairs, the Secretary-General said that decolonization had been one of the United Nations success stories, but the 16 remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories highlighted the fact that the monumental task of decolonization was as yet incomplete. “Colonization has no place in today’s world,” the Secretary-General said.
The following are excerpts of Mr. Kamal Statement to the Conference:
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“Therefore, we have put forward a proposal for a lasting and comprehensive solution of which the Security Council has taken note in recent resolutions (1754 (2007), 1783 (2007) and 1813 (2008)).
Our proposal has the merit of not only complying fully with international legality but also laying out a vision for the future that would be conducive to the establishment of friendly and cooperative relations with Morocco in political, economic and security domains. A free and fair referendum is an integral part of our plan.
We are committed to accepting the results of the referendum and to negotiating with Morocco, under the auspices of the United Nations, issues of special concern to it, in the event that the voters in the self-determination referendum opt for the independence of Western Sahara.
On the other hand, the Moroccan “autonomy” proposal is a unilateral project aimed at undermining the process of self-determination in Western Sahara, maintaining the status quo and legitimizing the illegal occupation of our country.
The “autonomy” proposal starts from a very mistaken premise that Western Sahara is already a part of Morocco. Yet, as the esteemed participants of this seminar are aware, the reality is that Western Sahara is still a decolonisation issue and that no country in the world recognises Moroccan sovereignty over our homeland.
The Moroccan proposal furthermore excludes the option of independence and does not give the Saharawi people a chance to decide their own future in accordance with UN resolutions and the verdict of the International Court of Justice.
I would like to remind you that the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General stated unequivocally that “the United Nations cannot sponsor a plan that excluded a referendum with independence as an option while claiming to provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara” (para.14, S/2006/817 of 16 October 2006).
Anything short of a genuine exercise by the Saharawis of their right to self-determination will seriously affect the UN’s credibility and will not contribute to a lasting peace and stability in the region.”
Mr. Kamal also renewed a call for the Special Committee to send a mission to Western Sahara and report on its findings, and raised concerns over human rights abuses by Morocco in the occupied areas and the illegal exploitation of the natural resources of Western Sahara.
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