Speaking at the UN, Deputy Permanent Representative Marthinus Van Schalkwyk said the matter of Western Sahara remained one of decolonisation, and warned that the Council’s latest action risked undermining the long-standing international consensus on the right to self-determination.
“The issue of Western Sahara is fundamentally one of decolonisation,” Van Schalkwyk said. “By supporting one plan over the other, the Security Council has taken a step away from its impartial role.”
He also reminded delegates that the UN peace operation in the territory, known as the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), was specifically mandated to facilitate a referendum that would allow the Sahrawi people to freely determine their future.
“This calls into question the core mandate of MINURSO, to facilitate the holding of a referendum that gives expression to a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, ensuring the right to self-determination for the people of Western Sahara,” he said.
SA has long maintained that the conflict in Western Sahara should be resolved in line with international law and the principles of the UN Charter, emphasising that any durable settlement must be based on the genuine and freely expressed will of the Sahrawi people.
–SABC/ChannelAfrica–
