The Mauritanian President spoke about several regional issues without mentioning Western Sahara during the general debate at the 74th Session of the General Assembly of the UN.
Rabat – The Polisario Front has expressed frustration after Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani’s speech at the general debate of the 74th Session of the General Assembly on September 24. The president addressed a number of regional issues but did not make mention of the Western Sahara conflict.
Pro-Polisario news outlet Futuro Sahara reported on September 25 that the Mauritanian president had “ignored” the Western Sahara conflict.
The Mauritanian president spoke about conflicts around the Middle East and North Africa, including the Palestinian cause, and conflicts in Libya, Syria, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia.
The president also paid tribute to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for his efforts to ensure peace and security in the region.
Strategies to fight the impacts of climate change took center stage in the president’s discourse.
El Ghazouani also showcased Mauritania’s country’s approach to ensuring better education access, gender equality, and healthcare in his country.
After speaking about his country’s efforts to ensure basic rights for the population and for refugees from Mali, the President reiterated his country’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause.
“We would like to reiterate our tireless commitment to the rights of Palestinian people their rights for dignity and sovereignty in the context of an independent viable state with east Jerusalem as its capital,” he said.
Read Also: The End of ‘The Bolton Effect’: What Now for Western Sahara?
He also denounced Israel’s violations against Palestine. After Palestine, the President expressed support for international efforts towards peace in Libya and to ensure territorial integrity.
El Ghazouani then moved to reiterate his country’s position on the Syrian conflict, emphasizing the need for a political solution to end the conflict.
The president concluded his speech to the UN General Assembly by expressing the need to find a political solution to the conflict in Yemen. He condemned the terrorist attacks against Saudi Arabia as it undermines the security of the kingdom.
Political poker
The Western Sahara conflict was conspicuous only by its absence from the Mauritanian president’s speech.
Futuro Sahara reported that, despite its proximity to Mauritania, the president, cynically, made no reference to Western Sahara and that this choice was politically motivated.
Futuro Sahara added that the Western Sahara conflict remains a “card” for presidential candidates in Spain and Mauritania, referring to the recent document published by Sanchez’s political party.
The Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) published a document on September 3, to express support for the extension of the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara, MINURSO.
The document shows that PSOE wants the MINURSO to monitor human rights in Western Sahara.
Sanchez is now looking for support to form a coalition government. According to Futuro Sahara, his party is showing support for PODEMOS, a Spanish pro-Polisario party by supporting the separatists’ claims over independence for Western Sahara.
“Sahrawi people’s case, thus, remains an election ‘card’ used by Mauritanian and Spanish political parties during their campaigns.”
The news outlet also accused the Mauritanian government of having a “ hypocritical” approach to dealing with the Western Sahara conflict.
Futuro Sahara also said that Spanish and Mauritanian political parties ignored the Western Sahara conflict at critical points to avoid invoking “Morocco’s anger.”
