Moroccan political parties reject UN referendum proposal for Sahara as serious escalation
A group of 13 Moroccan political parties have expressed refusal of the referendum in the Sahara proposed by UN secretary general's personal envoy, James Baker, saying "it is a serious escalation in an artificial conflict," rather than "a peaceful solution to a regional conflict."
The political parties expressed their view in a joint communiqu? sent to MAP. They say the entire world should realize that "the Sahara conflict is basically a conflict with Algerian leaders and not with the Algerian brother people." Reacting to Monday's report to the security council by UN secretary general, the political parties expressed "total refusal of any attempt to undermine Morocco's territorial integrity" and "renewed attachment to the southern provinces as part of national territory."
The release that was addressed to international organizations, governments, parties and people around the world explains that Baker's plan "takes us back to inapplicable proposals" such as referendum or partition and considers that the plan is "not a peaceful solution to a regional problem" and that the integrity of Morocco's territory and its sovereignty over all its territory are sacred issues for the Moroccan people.
The parties also strongly denounced secret and open plots to influence the United Nations and try to obtain support to the so-called peace plan at the security council, warning that if the plan is implemented, the region risks to plunge in armed conflicts and become a spot of strife and tensions. An appeal was launched to "all live forces and good-intent persons to foil attempts to destabilize the Arab Maghreb Region" and tributes were paid to countries that withdrew their recognition of the puppet entity after realizing the fairness and legitimacy of Morocco's claims, as well as to France for its backing to Morocco's legitimate right on the Sahara.
The parties deplore the attitude adopted by Spain, despite its perfect knowledge of the issue of the Sahara, a territory it has been occupying until the signing of the Madrid accords in 1975, calling on the European country that is bound by friendship and neighborliness relations with the Moroccan people to act for the triumph of Morocco's legitimate rights. The polisario, says the release, is an entity following the orders of the Algerian leaders and its members do not hail from the Sahara but are mercenaries, while the Polisario military branch is "the appendix" and a unit of the Algerian army. Governmental and non-governmental organizations should follow suit to the French Ngo "France-Libert?s, which after finding out it has been fooled for years by the Polisario and after realizing the true goals, crimes and human rights violations, is now strongly claiming the release of all the population sequestered in Tindouf camps (southwestern Algeria). The signatory parties insist that despite their divergences and the diversity of their trends, they stand up united against the danger and pledge to defend by all means the integrity of the Moroccan territory, its sovereignty, security and stability.
The communique is signed by the party of Choura and Istiqlal, National democrat party, democratic and social movement, justice and development party, national popular movement, action party, party of citizen forces, party of renewal and equity, party of environment and development, Moroccan Liberal Party, party of citizen initiative and development, social center party, and party of reform and development. The 13 parties will hold on Friday a press conference.
