FM Lamamra: “Our region needs a complete decolonization process in Western Sahara”

The urgent necessity to bolster stability, peace and development is the prime focus of Algeria’s diplomatic approach, Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra affirmed Sunday in Algiers, stressing that the Maghreb and Sahel regions need the imperious completion of Western Sahara’s decolonization process without alluding to the recent fiery statements made by the Moroccan side about this vexed issue.

“Algeria welcomes the new democratic achievement embodied by the recent successful legislative elections in Tunisia, as of significant importance for the Maghreb countries and elsewhere,” Lamamra said on the occasion of the celebration of United Nations’ Day.

Algeria’s foreign diplomacy chief added that “our region also needs an all-out decolonization process in Western Sahara which is the responsibility of the United Nations in keeping with the relevant resolutions of the UN General Assembly and Security Council and on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice which upheld self-determination as a prerequisite for the solution to be thrashed out regarding this occupied territory.”

Included since 1966 in the list of non-autonomous territories, and thus eligible for the implementation of Resolution 1514 of the UN General Assembly on the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, Western Sahara is now Africa’s last colony, occupied since 1975 by Morocco with the covert backing of France. 

Meanwhile, The Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, called Friday for the resumption of negotiations between the Polisario Front and Morocco on Western Sahara and for allowing his Personal Envoy and special Representatives, respectively, Christopher Ross and Kim Bolduc, to perform their duties.

In a press conference held in New York, the spokesperson of the UN Secretary General, Stephane Dujarric said that Ban Ki-moon has always called for the resumption of negotiations on the Western Sahara issue between the two parties to the conflict – the Polisario Front and Morocco – and allowing his Personal Envoy and his Special Representative, respectively, Christopher Ross and Kim Bolduc to fulfill their missions.
 
“The UN hopes to restart the negotiation process and the personal visits of the Secretary General’s Envoy Christopher Ross,” Dujarric said, adding that “the UN will continue to work to try to resolve the long-running conflict”.
 
It should be noted that Morocco has prevented since the month of January the return of Mr. Ross to the region and blocked the arrival of the new head of MINURSO, Kim Bolduc, who has been due to take office since the beginning of August 2014.

On the Palestine file, Mr Lamamra further underscored that “the moment has come to end the policy of occupation, of colonization and repeated military aggression of Israel in the region, including Gaza, becoming unfortunately a field of ruins because of Israel’s all-time war-like policies.”

“We hail the pertinence of the UN decision, by declaring 2014 ’year of solidarity with the Palestinian people’ as it reflects the willingness of the international community to achieve the legitimate desire of the Palestinians to live in freedom in a sovereign State, recognized within the borders of June 1967, including Al Qods or Jerusalem as its capital,” he asserted.