On
Western Sahara, With UNSC To
Quietly Meet, This Letter Goes
In, FrancAfrique
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS,
February 21 – Even after
Morocco threw portions of the
UN Peacekeeping mission out of
Western Sahara, when the UN
Security Council meets on the
topic it is not listed on
their agenda and thus far there
has been no outcome. Permanent
member France has ensured it
remain this way, and has
managed to get its fifth
national in a row put atop UN
Peacekeeping, to succeed Herve
Ladsous who again and again
told Inner City Press,
I don't answer your
questions, until it was
evicted
from its office and remains
restricted by Spain's Cristina
Gallach. Last week Inner
City Press asked what to
expect from Antonio Guterres,
see below. Today the following
letter went to the Security
Council:
"H.E. Ambassador
Volodymyr Yelchenko
Permanent Representative of
Ukraine to the United Nations
President of the Security
Council of the United Nations
New York, 21 of February 2017
Excellency
On behalf of the Frente
POLISARIO, the legitimate
representative of the people
of Western Sahara, I am
writing to you in your
capacity as the President of
the Security Council of the
United Nations to place on
record and on the eve of the
meeting of the Council the
following:
1.It is evident today, almost
one year after the adoption of
Security Council resolution
2285 (2016), that MINURSO’s
international and civilian
personnel who were expelled by
Morocco in flagrant violation
of Security Council
resolutions and International
law, has not been allowed by
Morocco to return to the
Western Sahara except a small
number of them. This fact
proves that MINURSO’s full
functionality is far from
being achieved. The UN
Secretariat assertion that ‘in
principle’ Morocco has agreed
to restore the full
functionality of the Mission
through a ‘gradual process’,
meaning an initial return of
25 staff in the ‘near future’
and then additional staff
‘subsequently’, has thus
proven to be a misleading
illusion.
2.Notwitstanding the emphasis
in resolution 2285 (2016) on
the importance of the parties
to commit to a fifth round of
negotiations, there has been
no movement nor steps taken in
that direction, despite the
readiness of the Frente
POLISARIO to engage and
cooperate with the UNSG’s
Personal Envoy, Ambassador
Christopher Ross, toward
meeting this requirement. It
is no secret that the
political process is hampered
by Morocco’s continuous
obstruction. This dangerous
impasse in the political
process threatens regional
stability on a continent
already contending with a
number of fragile conflicts,
which the Council has already
defined as a non- option.
3. The situation in ElGargarat
is the result of the
accumulation of several
dangerous developments that
the Secretariat and the
Council could have dealt with
in an effective manner. The
expulsion of MINURSO
personnel, the continued
Morocco's obstruction to the
mission of the UNSG Personnel
Envoy, and the Council’s
silence, has encouraged
Morocco to undertake its most
provocative violation of the
cease fire, by crossing the
“wall of the shame” into the
area forbidden by the military
agreements signed with MINURSO
to build a road in that part
of our Territory under our
sovereignty and control.
The Frente POLISARIO was left
with no choice other than to
stop this unacceptable action
given the fact that MINURSO
was not able to persuade
Morocco, as it has done in the
past, to desist from what is a
clear violation of the cease
fire and that has the
potential to ensure the
termination of it. Whilst the
situation on the ground is
still tense, it is but one
point within a larger picture
that requires an effective
engagement of the Security
Council toward assuring the
full return of MINURSO and the
resumption of the political
process through a fifth round
of direct negotiations.
4. Contrary to Morocco’s
pretexts and propaganda, which
it continues to spread among
Members of the Council, that
the purpose of the road is to
“put an end to illicit
trafficking of all kinds”, the
Frente POLISARIO forces have
captured in December 2016, a
few kilometers from
ElGargarat, five thousands
kilograms of drugs (Hashish)
en provenance of the "Wall of
shame". This is a crime that
is impossible to commit
without the “complicity and
guidance” of Moroccan military
commanders. MINURSO was
present during this capture
and documented the facts. This
is not an isolated case. It
has happened on several
occasions and in other places
near the so-called military
berm. It begs the
question, “from where is this
“trafficking of all kinds”
coming?”
4. The Ruling of the European
Court of Justice of 21
December 2016, which
explicitly stated and
recognized that Western Sahara
is not part of Morocco and
that any trade agreements with
Morocco excludes our country,
offers a new opportunity for
the Council to take measures
to ensure the protection of
the Sahrawi people’s permanent
sovereignty over their natural
resources.
5. Furthermore, the recent
adhesion of Morocco to the
African Union by signing and
ratifying the Constitute Act
of the Continental
Organization, whose article 4
states that the Member States
borders are those that existed
the day of achievement of
their independence, should
constitute a reference for the
Security Council and must
facilitate stronger
cooperation between the United
Nations and the African Union
toward a just and fair
resolution of the conflict of
Western Sahara. It must be
recalled that the two
Organizations have elaborated
in 1988 the Settlement Plan
that has led to the creation
of MINURSO whose explicit
mandate is to organize a free
and fair referendum on
self-determination for the
people of Western Sahara.
The Security Council meeting
on Western Sahara on 22
February 2017, now more than
ever, is an opportunity for
the Council to take measures
to reinvigorate the peace
process following the
Moroccan-instigated crisis.
The facts demonstrate that
“silent diplomacy”, based on
and inspired by the maneuvers
of the occupying power, has
failed and is leading to the
Council’s failure in conflict
prevention on Western Sahara.
It is thus incumbent on the
Council to restore MINURSO’s
credibility and signal
confidence to the
international community on the
issue of Western Sahara.
I would be most grateful if
you would bring this letter to
the attention of the Members
of the Security Council....
Representative of the Frente
POLISARIO To the United
Nations”"
Back on February
16 at a rare panel discussion
on Western Sahara just off
Manhattan's Park Avenue, a
questioner brought the
proceedings to a halt when he
asked about Trump adviser
Steve Bannon working in
MINURSO. Several
audience members - on both
sides, as it turned out -
asked, Why? From the podium
came the answer that the
reference was to John Bolton.
The Q&A continued.
Inner City
Press asked about Antonio
Guterres, who recently gave
the top position in UN
Peacekeeping to yet another
French official, Jean-Pierre
Lacroix the fifth in a row,
and what his views may be on
Western Sahara.
Amy
Goodman of Democracy Now
responded that as a former
Portuguese prime minister
Guterres should remember, and
be asked about, East Timor. Video
here, from Min 1:30:26.
Consider it an assignment.
The event
was at Hunter College's
Roosevelt House and included
Prof Sandra Babcock, lawyer
Katlyn Thomas, Madeleine Bair
of Watching Western Sahara and
Mohammed Ali Arkoukoum of the
Saharawi Association in New
York. The final questioner,
with a pro-Morocco perspective
and some supporters with
filming phones, came in from
Boston.
Back on
January 27 after the UN
Security Council held a closed
door meeting about Western
Sahara, Inner City Press asked
the Council's President for
January Olof Skoog of Sweden
what happened in the meeting.
Video
here.
Specifically, Inner City Press
asked Skoog how many of the 83
members of the MINURSO
peacekeeping mission expelled
by Morocco have be able to
return.
Skoog did
not give a number, but said
that MINURSO is still no up to
full functionality. He
mentioned Guerguerat.
Inner City
Press asked if Morocco's
attempts to join the African
Union, and the impact that
might have on the political
negotiations, had been
discussed. Skoog said no.
There was
no time to ask about the
Norwegian oil fish ship that,
it seems, violated the recent
European court ruling. And
less than two hours later,
guards citing the eviction /
Press downgrading order of
Spanish UN official Cristina
Gallach demanded to know where
Inner City Press' "minder"
was, putting an end to a
diplomat's provision of
information to Inner City
Press. This is today's UN.
***
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