HCR ties repatriation of Sahrawi refugees to progress in settlement plan implementation

The smooth repatriation of Sahrawi refugees depends on the progress in the implementation of the United Nations settlement plan for the Sahara, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Sadako Ogata, said on Monday.

"The success of the HCR preparations for the repatriation of refugees in the territory of Western Sahara depends on the progress in political negotiations," Ogata told the 50th session of the HCR Executive Committee in Geneva.

The repatriation of refugees is one of the advanced stages of the ongoing U.N.-brokered process in the Sahara that will be crowned with the holding of a self-determination referendum.

The vote, scheduled for July 2000, is to determine whether the Sahara --a former Spanish colony, retrieved by Morocco in 1975 under the Madrid Accords-- sets up on its own or remains part of Morocco.

In her speech before the HCR Executive Committee, Ogata said the HCR activities in Algeria targets the free repatriation of Sahrawi refugees by March 2000 part of the U.N. settlement plan.

An HCR document said the U.N. agency will continue to extend medical and food assistance to the refugees until their repatriation.

In the HCR meeting, Moroccan ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, Nacer Benjelloun Touimi, called on the U.N agency to carry on preparations for the repatriation of refugees and renewed Morocco's infallible backing to the U.N settlement plan.

He insisted that it is Morocco's wish that the referendum process proceeds within the strict respect of the principles of justice, equity and in accordance with the time-table."

Morocco had agreed on the package of measures, proposed by U.N Secretary-General, Kofi Annan. The package includes arrangements for refugees repatriation to allow them participate in the self-determination referendum.