On
Western Sahara
UN Guterres
Criticized For
Delay In
Replacing
Kohler While
Bans Press
From UNGA
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Periscope, song,
II
UN GATE, Sept 17
– On
Western
Sahara, Inner
City Press has
repeatedly
asked UN
Secretary General
Antonio
Guterres, his
spokesmen and
now
Communications
chief Melissa
Fleming
about sexual
harassment
charges
against his representative
Colin Stewart,
which it has
exclusively
reported as
credited here
and even here.
Guterres
has refused to
answer, including
in the
last eighteen
days in which
by denying
Inner City
Press access
to the UNGA week he
lets dozens of
Moroccan
state media
into he and
Fleming
continue
the ban on
Inner City
Press
supported by a
frivolous
complaint filed
against Inner
City Press'
coverage from
the UN
Security
Council
stakeout. On
Sept 16, see
"prayer" video
here.
Now amid
Guterres'
unfairness and
failure, in a letter
to Security
Council
members, the
Frente
POLISARIO’s
Brahim Ghali
writes:
“Three months
have now
passed since
former
Personal Envoy
of the UN
Secretary-General
for Western
Sahara, Mr
Horst Köhler,
abruptly
resigned. Little
has been done
in the ensuing
period to
advance the UN
peace process
on Western
Sahara. The
delay in
appointing a
new Personal
Envoy has all
but paralysed
the political
process, which
appears to
have returned
to ‘business
as usual’,
despite
Security
Council
members’
repeated
assurances to
the
contrary.
“For over 40
years, our
people have
endured the
dire
consequences
of Moroccan
illegal
occupation of
our land. The
fundamental
right of our
people to
self-determination
has been
denied, and
the basic
human rights
of our fellow
women, men and
children are
being
systematically
violated in
the Sahrawi
occupied
Territories.
Our natural
resources have
been
plundered.
While we
remain fully
committed to
our
obligations
under the
ceasefire and
related
military
agreements, we
reserve our
legitimate
right to act
in response to
all hostile
actions by
Morocco—including
its recent
incursions
into the
Buffer
Strip—which
aim to
entrench its
illegal
occupation of
parts of our
national
Territory.
Morocco would
be making a
serious
mistake if it
tried to test
the patience
of our people
who are more
determined
than ever to
defend their
rights and
legitimate
national
aspirations.
“After months
of silence
from Council
members, no
appointment of
a new PESG,
and no action
to restart
peace talks,
hope has given
way to
frustration.
We cannot
understand the
Security
Council’s
delay in
fulfilling its
commitment to
upending the
status quo and
its failure to
respond
robustly to
Morocco’s
escalating and
destabilising
actions, which
have
undermined the
fragile peace
forged in 1991
by the
UN-supervised
ceasefire.
“The Council
must not allow
a return to
the status quo
in Western
Sahara, and it
must not
underestimate
the
consequences
of allowing
Morocco’s
intransigence
to go
unanswered. We
strongly urge
the Security
Council to
insist that
there be no
further delay
in appointing
a new,
qualified
PESG, who
shares his or
her
predecessor’s
strong
convictions,
stature and
resolve. We
urge all
Security
Council
members to
redouble their
commitment to
the political
process and to
insist on the
resumption of
direct,
substantive
negotiations
between the
two parties,
with a view to
achieving a
peaceful and
lasting
solution that
fully respects
the right of
our people to
self-determination
and
independence.”
On
the eve of Morocco's
National
Day, Inner
City Press
asked
Guterres:
"July
29-4: On
Morocco and
Western Sahara
/ MINURSO,
what is the
comment of the
SG on that on
19 July, when
Sahrawi
football fans
flooded the
wide Smara
Boulevard, the
main route
through
Laayoune, the
territory’s
largest
city...
security
forces fired
tear gas and
rubber
bullets, and
used water
cannons? And
" July
29-3: On
transparency
and to assess
even-handedness,
please
immediately
confirm or
deny that SG
Guterres will
attended the
Morocco
National Day
on July 30?"
Again, no
answer - this
even as
Guterres'
censorship and
favoritism
of state media
including
Morocco's results
in UN noon
"press"
briefing with
no questions,
like here on 26 July
2019.
Now Guterres'
favored China,
to which he is
financially
linked through
UN briber CEFC
China Energy
and Gulbenkian
Foundation, is
exploiting
phosphate from
Western
Sahara.
Sinochem
Corporation, a
Chinese
conglomerate
engaged in the
production and
trading of
chemicals and
fertilizer, has received
complaints against
its "illegal,
unethical and
immoral import
of stolen
phosphate
cargoes from
the occupied
territories of
Western
Sahara."
Sinochem Group
is a major customer
of the Office
Cherifien des
Phosphates
(OCP). In
October 2017,
OCP and
Sinochem
signed a
five-year
agreement
giving,
allowing the
Chinese firm
to get 5
million tons
of Moroccan
phosphates. And
Guterres loves
it. We'll have
more on this.
And this:
"Ms
Nazha El
Khalidi, who
was arrested
on 4 December
2018 simply
for using her
phone to
record and
live-stream a
peaceful
demonstration
in the city of
El Aaiún, the
capital of
occupied
Western
Sahara."
But
Guterres hates
live streaming -
he banned
Inner City
Press from streaming
his craven
grip and
grins, before
having Inner
City Press
roughed up
and banned now
342 days. As
Guterres'
retaliatory
ban
on Inner City
Press even
entering the
UN, now in its
300th
day and based
on a frivolous
Morocco
Mission
complaint,
the UN
Security
Council passed,
only 13-0-2, an
extension of
MINURSO's
mandate for
six months. Banned
Inner City
Press is
putting the
resolution
online here,
and notes that
under Guterres
the UN has yet
to solve
anything,
while making
most conflicts
worse. Before
the
December 19 UN
noon briefing
Inner
City Press in
writing asked
Guterres, his
Spokesman Stephane
Dujarric and
Global
Communicator
Alison Smale
who promised
answers, questions
including
this:
"December
19-3: On
Western
Sahara,
confirm SG
receipt of and
state his
response to
letter of
Polisario
urging him to
clear “mines
that threaten
the lives of
Saharwis” and
that on
Friday,
December the
14th, two
mines caused
the “death of
a Sahrawi man
and serious
injuries to
others”?
Dujarric
didn't read
out the
question the
way for
example even
the IMF does
with Inner
City Press'
questions; he
entertained
questions
from
pro-Morocco
scribes to
which he and
Guterres
and Smale give
UN office space
even if they
write no
articles. Today's UN
is corrupt.
***
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