ECJ Rulings Expose Efforts to Conceal Western Sahara Issue (Attaf)
On Tuesday, Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf expressed his firm belief that the United Nations must take responsibility for the issue of Western Sahara, which he characterized as a “decolonization matter.” He stated that recent decisions by the European Court of Justice have “undermined desperate attempts to obscure the fundamental aspects of this issue in order to entrench the colonial status quo.”
In a speech delivered on Algeria’s Diplomatic Day, commemorating the country’s accession to the United Nations on October 8, 1962, Attaf remarked, “Our conviction regarding the necessity for the United Nations to fully assume its responsibilities concerning the Western Sahara issue remains unwavering. This is the last colony on the African continent and the oldest conflict in our regional neighborhood.” He highlighted that “just four days ago, the highest European judicial body stood up for the Sahrawi people and dismantled five decades of desperate efforts to erase the core issues of this case aimed at solidifying colonial reality.”
He elaborated: “The recent rulings from the European Court of Justice reaffirm long-established facts recognized by the International Court of Justice nearly fifty years ago, namely that the Sahrawi cause remains a decolonization issue, and the Sahrawi people are entitled to exercise their inalienable and imprescriptible right to self-determination.” He contended that “the myth of autonomy cannot serve as a basis for any solution, as it fundamentally contradicts the right to self-determination.”
The minister emphasized that “the final resolution of this dispute can only be achieved through direct negotiations between the conflicting parties—namely, the Polisario Front, the legitimate and sole representative of the Sahrawi people, and the Kingdom of Morocco, the occupying force in Western Sahara.”
Attaf asserted, “These are the facts and principles that continue to trouble those accustomed to promoting falsehoods until they believe them.” He expressed bewilderment at hearing member states of the institution attempting to convince us that trade agreements take precedence over international law concerning Western Sahara.
Additionally, Attaf noted, “It is said that Pacta Sunt Servanda (agreements must be kept), yet the European Union insists that contractual obligations outweigh peremptory norm of general international law (Jus Cogens), even overriding judgments issued by the highest European judicial authority.”
He further stressed, “What is more alarming is that all these fabrications and heresies are justified by strategic relations with the Kingdom of Morocco and existing interests in that country, as well as growing ambitions to exploit the resources and wealth of Western Sahara.” He added, “Meanwhile, we are discussing countries that have positioned themselves as guardians of the principles of the rule of law, pretending to adhere strongly to international legitimacy while claiming to be staunch defenders of human rights everywhere and at all times.”
