UN vote on Sahara issue shows international community commitment to political solution
Morocco-UN, Politics, 10/20/2004

The result of the vote of the UN Security Council 4th committee on the Algerian draft resolution on the Sahara issue shows that the international community remains committed to a political, negotiated and lasting solution to the nearly three-decade dispute, said the Moroccan Foreign Ministry.

In a press release following Monday's vote, the ministry described as "meaningful" the fact that out of the 191 UN members, only 52 voted for the draft, while 89 abstained and 50 did not take part in the vote.

The 4th committee (also known as Decolonisation Committee) has been "forced" by Algeria to vote the resolution on the Moroccan Sahara, breaking thus the traditional consensus, said the ministry explaining that since the start of the committee's meeting on this issue, the Moroccan and Algerian delegations have agreed to work together for a consensus by adopting resolution a/58/109 passed by the GA in 2003 to introduce new developments. While the negotiations have been going on between the two delegations, Algeria made the unilateral decision to introduce the draft resolution which strays away from the agreed approach to preserve the consensus, and did not refer to UN special representative Alvaro de Soto who was appointed to continue the efforts to reach a political and lasting solution to the dispute.

Morocco and Algeria are at loggerheads because of the latter's political, logistic, financial and moral support to the separatists movement "Polisario" that claims independence of Moroccan Southern provinces known as Sahara. The former Spanish colony was retrieved by Morocco in 1975 under the Madrid Accords signed with Spain and Mauritania.

The stubbornness of Algeria to have the draft resolution passed at any cost, translates a deliberate will to compromise the Security Council coming debates on this issue and block any progress to a lasting solution, the communiquŽ said.

Prior to the vote, Morocco's permanent representative to the UN, Mohamed Bennouna noted that Algeria is denying De Soto "his role as mediator to pursue a political solution," and stressed that this country bears a "heavy responsibility in blocking a political solution (..)."

In abstaining, the committee members show their backing to the UN chief and to his special representative de Soto in their efforts to reach a negotiated settlement, Bennouna said.

Previous Stories:
  Moroccan king holds phone talks with UN chief on Sahara issue   (10/19/2004)
  Moroccan Sahara: UN Committee postpones probing Algerian draft resolution   (10/15/2004)
  Morocco calls UNHCR to shoulder responsibility of populations sequestered in Tindouf   (10/11/2004)

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