Costa Rica Renews Decision to Suspend Recognition of Sahrawi Republic
Morocco, Politics, 6/5/2000

Costa Rica has renewed its decision to suspend recognition of the so-called Sahrawi Republic (SADR) till the outcome of the U.N sponsored referendum in the Sahara.

The stand was renewed by foreign minister, Roberto Rojas, in a message he sent recently to his Moroccan peer, Mohamed Benaissa.

Rojas stated in his message that "the freeze of diplomatic relations with the SADR is still in force and will be reconsidered only in light of the outcome of the referendum."

Costa Rica's decision to suspend recognition of the "SADR" had been announced by Rojas during the visit he paid to Morocco last April 21-23.

Rojas said in his message that he explained to a special envoy of the "SADR," at a meeting on May 24, the reasons behind Costa Rica's decision to freeze diplomatic relations with the Sahrawi Republic.

Among these reasons, he said, he mentioned the failure of the "SADR," since self-proclamation in 1975, to assert itself as an internationally-recognized territorial entity, adding that since United Nations launched the referendum process, the recognition has been bound to the outcome of the referendum.

The United Nations is trying to hold a referendum in the Sahara --a Moroccan southern territory that was formerly under Spanish rule and that was retrieved by Morocco in 1975 under the Madrid accords.

The vote, which will give the people of the Sahara a choice between independence and integration with Morocco, has been repeatedly delayed because of the maneuvers of the separatist polisario, which seeks to shrink the voter's list.

The Costa Rican foreign minister added that the news circulated by some media in the region do not reflect the content of his talks with the SADR special envoy, insisting that the freeze of diplomatic relations with the SADR is still in force.

Previous Stories:
  Morocco will continue to insist on needed corrections to referendum process   (6/2/2000)
  Senegal's Wade pledges to work for Morocco's return to Organization of African Unity   (6/1/2000)
  UN security council extends Sahara mission for two months   (6/1/2000)

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