Polisario demands UN to impose sanctions on Morocco

The leader of the Polisario, a group which seeks the independence of the Western Sahara from Morocco, called on the UN Security Council to impose sanctions on Morocco so as to abide by international resolutions and to offer self determination for the Western Sahara.

In a message he addressed to the council, Muhammad Abdul Aziz called on specialized establishments to start judicial prosecution against Moroccan officials under charges of committing crimes "against humanity" in the Sahara conflict since 1975.

The message considered that the international community admitted since four decades what he called the right of the Sahara to independence, stressing that the Morocco government renewed once again and openly its rejection to approve the issue of the western Sahara within this context.

This came, four days after the announcement made by the Moroccan government to carry out negotiations over a comprehensive settlement for the crisis including self-rule for the western Sahara, but under the preservation of Moroccan sovereignty.

Worthy mentioning that Morocco considers that the plan of the former UN official James Baker to carry out a referendum on deciding the fate of the Western Sahara "as outdated."

On August 18, the Polisario released 404 persons representing the last shift of the Moroccan prisoners after a mediation carried out by the USA.