Lamamra: “Algeria won’t alter its position… Morocco is deliberately prolonging occupation of Western Sahara”

“Africa has to play a bigger role in managing the agenda of peace and security both in the continent and at the United Nations’ level”, state Minister and Minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation Ramtane Lamamra said on Sunday.

Lamamra made the comments at a high-profile seminar on peace and security in Africa which kicked off earlier on Sunday in Oran province, 400 km west of the capital Algiers.

“We have to work more to mobilize all our continental capabilities at the UN Security Council to allow greater involvement of Africa in the management of the continental and international agenda of peace and security,” Lamamra said.

This role of Africa “should drag the attention of heads of state and government of Africa to assert the principle of African solutions to Africa’s problems,” he underlined.

The top Algerian diplomat advocated “relentless struggle” against drug trafficking and the “universalization” of a ban on paying ransoms in order to combat the terrorism scourge.

“Through the financial resources coming from drug trafficking and ransom payment following hostage taking, terrorists strengthened their capacities and extended their spheres of activity,” the minister added.

“It is essential to dry up financial resources of terrorism through an implacable fight against criminal networks.” Persistence of hotbed of tensions or instability in Africa, especially in Libya and in the Sahel, affects our security and creates the appropriate conditions for terrorist groups’ nefarious activities.”, Mr Lamamra underscored.

With regard to the long-running Western Sahara decolonization issue, Ramtane Lamamra asserted that Algeria will spare no effort to support the United Nations Secretary General’s efforts for the resolution of the conflict in Western Sahara.

“We hope that the forthcoming visit of the UN chief Ban Ki-Moon to the region will be an opportunity to bring the two parties to the conflict to the negotiation table with a view to resuming the peace process,” said Lamamra at the opening of the third High-Level Seminar on Peace and Security in Africa.

Mr Lamamra said that “Algeria will endeavour to support the efforts of the UN chief and his personal envoy for final settlement of the conflict through the holding of a referendum on self-determination to test the will of the Sahrawi people.”

“In Western Sahara, the peace process conducted by the UN since 1990 has been so far at a standstill,” he said, adding that “the proposals made in 2007 by the two parties to the conflict, Morocco

and the Polisario Front, have not allowed resumption of talks and no progress have been made since then.”

Mr Lamamra also underlined the difficulties face by the UN special envoy for Western Sahara, Christopher Ross, and Kim Bolduk, his special representative and head of the UN Mission for Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), and deplored the logjam attitude and dilatory maneuvers of the Moroccan regime in blatant violation of relevant UN resolutions and international legality.

In this regard, the Foreign minister called on the UN, and particularly the Security Council, to assume their full responsibilities and urged for an early solution to this outstanding issue in accordance with the international law in order to end the untold suffering of the Sahrawi people, who live under occupation in their own territory and in exile because of Morocco’s colonial and expansionist policies..”

The three-day Oran seminar is aimed at addressing a number of issues relating to security on the continent, including the fight against the terrorism plague. It is attended by foreign ministers of Algeria, Angola, Egypt, Nigeria, Rwanda, Chad, Senegal and Burundi, in addition to experts and representatives of the African Union and the United Nations.