Algerian Radio
Algeria reiterated in Managua (Nicaragua) the parameters that would enable a just and lasting settlement of the Western Sahara issue, reaffirming its constant, coherent, and legalistic position on the matter.
During the proceedings of the annual United Nations regional seminar on decolonization, held from May 25 to 27, the Algerian delegation, led by the Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Toufik Koudri, systematically dismantled the fallacious allegations and erroneous, misleading interpretations by Morocco, particularly in the context of the latest developments in the Sahrawi issue.
On this occasion, Mr. Koudri reiterated Algeria's constant, coherent, and legalistic position on the matter. In this regard, he recalled that Western Sahara remains the last territory on the African continent to be included among the 17 territories awaiting decolonization on the United Nations Committee of 24 (C-24) list.
To corroborate his statements, the head of the Algerian delegation emphasized that all relevant resolutions adopted by the UN General Assembly and Security Council concerning Western Sahara enshrine the right of the people of Western Sahara to self-determination.
Likewise, all UN initiatives concerning Western Sahara have always been, and will remain, in accordance with this principle, which constitutes the foundation of the UN decolonization doctrine, he added.
In this context, he also pointed out that no fait accompli, much less any transactional process, could bypass UN legitimacy, which remains the sole authority holding the seal of legality for determining the final status of Western Sahara.
Addressing the latest developments in the Sahrawi issue, Mr. Koudri reiterated Algeria's position regarding the resumption, early this year, of direct talks between the two parties to the conflict, the Kingdom of Morocco and the Polisario Front, under the auspices of the UN and the United States of America.
In this regard, Mr. Koudri recalled that Algeria welcomed the resumption of direct talks between the two parties, to which it was invited, alongside Mauritania, in the capacity of a neighboring observer.
As such, the head of the Algerian delegation emphasized that Algeria has always advocated for direct negotiations between the two parties.
As proof of this, he cited the support Algeria has provided to the efforts of all successive Secretaries-General at the helm of the UN, as well as their personal envoys.
Algeria's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN noted that this development, which allowed the two parties to the conflict—Morocco and the Polisario Front—to resume direct dialogue, has signaled the end of celebrating the fait accompli and rendered ineffective the supposed recognitions favoring Moroccan claims.
Mr. Koudri thus reaffirmed Algeria's determination to support all sincere efforts aimed at reaching a peaceful, just, lasting, and mutually acceptable solution that guarantees the Sahrawi people the exercise of their inalienable right to self-determination, in full compliance with the Charter of the United Nations and the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council.
Finally, he forcefully stated that the present and future of Western Sahara belong to the Sahrawis, who must be the sole beneficiaries of any final solution that is mutually acceptable to both parties—the Polisario Front and Morocco—and that guarantees the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination.
