Algeria's draft resolution on Sahara met with massive abstention at UN General Assembly
Algeria-Morocco, Politics, 12/11/2004

The massive abstention on Friday of an Algeria-sponsored draft resolution on the Sahara by the UN general assembly member states confirms that the Sahara issue is actually a Moroccan-Algerian bilateral conflict artificially created by Algeria to thwart Morocco's endeavors to perfect its territorial integrity.

The statement was made by Morocco's delegate to the United Nations, Mohamed Bennouna after 101 member countries abstained from voting on the Algerian-sponsored draft resolution.

"It is, henceforth, acknowledged that this bilateral conflict can only be settled through a political negotiated solution allowing the entire population of the Morocan southern provinces to democratically manage their own affairs in the respect of Morocco's national sovereignty."

He also stressed that "consequently the Baker plan (named after former UN secretary general's personal envoy to the Sahara) is definitively buried," adding the quest of the political solution under the auspices of the UN secretary general and its special representative, Alvaro De Soto, is in line with the world body's principles on the peaceful settlement of conflicts between member states.

He further recalled that the security council had called last October 27 all parties to get out of the current deadlock and progress to a political solution.

Now responsibilities are well identified between those who are attempting to procrastinate things, hiding behind an outdated and buried proposal, and those who express their readiness to embark on a process of negotiation in the respect of international legality, he went on, before reiterating Morocco's "firm will to embark with good will in this process which is a requisite for the consolidation of the Arab Maghreb region."

After this new negative vote that took place in a plenary session of the UN general assembly, Algeria was dealt a new setback as its proposed draft received less votes than in the UN fourth session despite numerous and various lobbying attempts to glean support for the text that dismisses the UN secretary general special representative.

Last October, the same Algerian proposal had collected only 52 votes while 89 member states abstained.

The UN 4th commission had twice deferred the voting and asked the parties to reach a consensus text in order to avoid the vote, but it was forced to have recourse to the voting.

Despite its renewed denials of involvement in the problem, Algeria is thus giving evidence to its direct involvement in the Sahara and its support to the Polisario which claims the separation from the rest of Morocco of the Sahara, a former Spanish colony retrieved by Morocco in 1975 under the Madrid agreement with Spain and Mauritania.

Previous Stories:
  President Butaflika formally recognizes Algeria's role in 'Sahrawi Republic' recognition campaign   (12/3/2004)
  Moroccan speaker leaves Algiers after meeting with President Butaflika   (12/1/2004)
  King says Morocco ready to cooperate with neighbouring states to solve Sahara dispute   (12/1/2004)

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