Algerian Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs, National Community Abroad, and African Affairs, Ahmed Attaf, emphasized on Monday that the issue of Western Sahara remains a matter of decolonization, and the Sahrawi people continue to be entitled to their inalienable right to self-determination.
In his speech at the high-level segment of the United Nations General Assembly, Attaf noted that “the status quo imposed on the Saharan territories is still regarded as an occupation under international law and the firmly held principles of the United Nations.”
“62 years have passed since the General Assembly included Western Sahara on the list of territories whose peoples are seeking decolonization; 50 years have passed since the Security Council adopted its first resolution on Western Sahara (Resolution 377); and 34 years have passed since the deployment of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara,” he said.
In this regard, the Algerian Minister reiterated that the real solution to this conflict “must, in our view, be based on five main principles,” namely: first, the solution must take place under the full and permanent auspices of the United Nations.
Second, the solution must be based on direct negotiations between the two parties to the conflict—the Kingdom of Morocco and the Polisario Front.
Third, the solution must be crafted and shaped by the two parties themselves, not dictated or imposed by either party or any other parties.
Fourth, the substance of the solution must be consistent with the UN doctrine on decolonization and the justice owed to peoples living under colonial domination.
Fifth and finally, the solution must lead to enabling the Sahrawi people to effectively exercise their right to self-determination, in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions.
