New York (United Nations) 14 December 2020 (SPS)- Polisario Front recalled the United Nations, in a Press Release Today, of its responsibilities to decolonize Western Sahara, on the occasion of the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the UN General Assembly Resolution 1514 on the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial countries and Peoples.
“Morocco’s continued occupation of parts of Western Sahara is in violation of UN resolutions and the ruling of the International Court of Justice of 16 October 1975, which held that there was no tie of territorial sovereignty between Western Sahara and Morocco, and that General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) should be applied in the decolonisation of the Territory through the free and genuine expression of the will of the Sahrawi people,” the text reads.
“The Sahrawi people who have resumed their legitimate struggle in self-defence against Morocco’s continued occupation of parts of their land still look to the United Nations to implement its own resolutions regarding the decolonisation of Western Sahara. The United Nations should therefore assume its sacred responsibility towards the Sahrawi people and create the necessary conditions to enable our people to exercise freely and democratically their inalienable right to self-determination and independence, thus bringing to a successful conclusion the decolonisation of the last colony in Africa,” it states.
Following is the full text of the Press Release, of which SPS received a copy:
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REPRESENTATION OF THE FRENTE POLISARIO TO THE UNITED NATIONS
PRESS RELEASE
On the Commemoration of the 60thAnniversary of UN General Assembly Resolution 1514 (XV)
Today the United Nations and all world nations mark the 60th anniversary of the adoption by the UN General Assembly of its resolution 1514 (XV) on the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial countries and Peoples, known also as the magna carta of decolonisation.
By its resolution 1514 (XV), the General Assembly recognised thatthe subjection of peoples to alien subjugation, domination and exploitation constituted a denial of fundamental human rights, was contrary to the Charter of the United Nations and was an impediment to the promotion of world peace and cooperation. It solemnly proclaimedthe necessity of bringing to a speedy and unconditional end colonialism in all its forms and manifestations. However, colonialism is still far from over.
At present, there are 17 Non-Self-Governing Territories whose peoples have not yet exercised their right to self-determination and independence including Western Sahara, the last colony in Africa, whose decolonisation was thwarted owing toMorocco’s militarily invasion of the Territory on 31 October 1975.
Morocco’s continued occupation of parts of Western Sahara is in violation of UN resolutions and the ruling of the International Court of Justice of 16 October 1975, which heldthatthere was no tie of territorial sovereignty between Western Sahara and Morocco, and that General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) should be applied in the decolonisation of the Territory through the free and genuine expression of the will of the Sahrawi people.
More than five decades have passed since the General Assembly adopted its resolution1956 (XVIII) of 11 December 1963, whereby the General Assembly approved the report of the Special Committee on Decolonisation containing the list of the Territories to be decolonised including Western Sahara. Numerous UN resolutions have been adopted ever since calling for enabling the Sahrawi people to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination and independence, but the decolonisation of Western Sahara is still pending.
Moreover, all efforts deployed by the United Nations and the Organisation of African Unity (currently the African Union)with a view to achieving a peaceful and lasting solution to the overdue decolonisation of Western Sahara have been met with Morocco’s obstructionism and rejection.The inaction shown by the United Nations over the past decades has encouraged Morocco to persist in its illegal occupation of parts of Western Sahara, culminating recently in its military aggression on the Sahrawi Liberated Territory on 13 November 2020, which has led to the rupture of the ceasefire in place since 1991 and the resumption of military confrontation.
The Sahrawi people who have resumed their legitimatestruggle in self-defence against Morocco’s continued occupation of parts of their land still look to the United Nations to implement its own resolutions regarding the decolonisation of Western Sahara. The United Nations should therefore assume its sacred responsibility towards the Sahrawi people and create the necessary conditions to enable our people to exercise freely and democratically their inalienable right to self-determination and independence, thus bringing to a successful conclusion the decolonisation of the last colony in Africa.” (SPS)
090/500/60 (SPS)