Morocco denounces deliberate delays in Sahara referendum process
Morocco, Politics, 10/8/1999

Morocco "denounced and deplored" on Thursday the deliberate delays in the Sahara referendum process and hoped that errors will be repaired.

Morocco's delegate to the United Nations, Ahmed Snoussi, said he is convinced that the referendum, normally slated for July 2000, is taking an undemocratic and unfair path. Snoussi told the UN Commission on special political and decolonization issues, obstacles have been deliberately erected to prevent the participation of the entire population in the voting.

However, he went on, Morocco wishes that a new procedure will soon make up for these daily errors that are tainting the process.

After he denied as totally wrong the ill-intended charges that Morocco is behind the delays, the ambassador made it clear that the issue should not be included in the special political and decolonization issues commission. For Morocco which proposed the holding of a referendum and which has brought moral support and over $ 80 million in funds to the world body, the referendum is a process to perfect Morocco's territorial integrity.

Snoussi referred the audience to the various U.N secretary general reports since 1991 to find out that Morocco was not the one to refuse in 1993 a compromise on the interpretation of criteria (of persons entitled to vote), to violate resolution 907 nor to reject the U.N secretary general's proposal to proceed with the identification of potential parties in the absence of the other party's observer.

He added that it was not Morocco either which has refused to implement the U.N-brokered Houston agreements for 14 months.

Regarding the issue of refugees, Snoussi said Morocco has issued several calls to save the populations who have been kidnapped and sequestered by the Algeria-backed Polisario secessionists.

He further insisted that no administrative, routine nor financial contingency should be evoked to prevent the entire Sahrawi population from voting freely.

Previous Stories:
  Istiqlal Party calls Algerian leaders to adopt new policy for better relations with Morocco   (10/7/1999)
  Loulichki takes over as ambassador-coordinator with MINURSO   (10/7/1999)
  HCR ties repatriation of Sahrawi refugees to progress in settlement plan implementation   (10/5/1999)

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