Rabat – Ambassadors and permanent representatives of member countries of the Support Group for Morocco’s Territorial Integrity in Geneva denounced on Wednesday attempts by a few countries to politicize debates at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to undermine Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara.
Speaking at a virtual meeting of the Group with the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Michelle Bachelet, Ambassador Kouadio Adjoumani of Cote d’Ivoire said the objective of the meeting is to prevent any controversy and political instrumentalization of the Sahara issue at the Human Rights Council.
The Group’s statements have no political purpose and are based solely on the principle of solidarity, the diplomat said.
He recalled that the Sahara dispute is subject to a political process under the exclusive purview of the UN Security Council. Therefore, its resolution can only take place within the UNSC framework, Adjoumani added.
The UNHRC is not the appropriate forum to discuss the dispute, for which the Security Council has already adopted many resolutions, he stressed.
The Human Rights Council must remain faithful to a founding principle — the non-politicization of debates — thus avoiding attempts to stir up controversy and instrumentalize the Sahara issue within the HRC, he insisted.
Gabon, Jordan
Ambassador of Gabon Mireille Nzenze said the meeting’s aim is to establish a constructive dialogue between the Group and the OHCHR. She said the approach seeks in particular to recall the principles of bilaterality and non-politicization that govern the UNHRC’s work.
The statement the Group delivered at the Council’s 46th session was neutral, without any political element that could offend any party. “It was a statement of principle for obvious reasons, as the Sahara issue is the subject of a political process, the exclusive competence of the Security Council,” she noted.
The diplomat also highlighted the role that the various commissions of Morocco’s National Council for Human Rights (CNDH) are playing in the southern provinces, which the Security Council has recognized.
The situation in Western Sahara is the subject of a very active interaction between the mechanisms of the Human Rights Council, which have made several visits to these provinces, Nzenze added.
The support for Morocco aims to depoliticize the issue in the context of the Human Rights Council’s work, she said.
Jordan’s Ambassador Walid Khalid Obeidat said that it should not be the UNHRC addressing the conflict’s political aspects, but rather the Security Council. He expressed his country’s support for Morocco’s efforts in the exercise of its sovereignty.
This is a political issue that should not be discussed at the Human Rights Council, he stressed.
Bahrain, Haiti
The Ambassador of Bahrain Yusuf Abdulkarim Bucheeri reaffirmed, on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council, support for Moroccan institutions’ efforts to promote and protect human rights throughout the territory. He welcomed the continuous and constructive engagement with the human rights mechanisms, particularly the OHCHR, the HRC, and the Special Procedures.
Bucheeri reiterated his country’s support for Morocco’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. He also reaffirmed Bahraini support for measures to preserve the country’s territorial integrity, such as the action to restore freedom of movement at the El Guerguerat border crossing.
Any provocation that aims to limit the freedom of movement in this vital space is intolerable, he said.
Bucheeri also welcomed many countries’ opening of consulates general in Dakhla and Laayoune. He described the initiative as an important step in the commitment to strengthen economic development and investment for the benefit of local populations.
The GCC members agree that the Sahara issue’s resolution can only take place through the Autonomy Plan Morocco submitted to the UN Security Council.
Haiti’s Ambassador Justin Viard recalled that his country has strengthened its relations with Morocco to the point of establishing a diplomatic mission and opening a consulate general in Dakhla last December.
Haiti reaffirmed its support for the Group, whose objective is to prevent any politicization within the HRC, given that the issue falls exclusively under the remit of the Security Council.
Zambia
Zambian Ambassador Martha Lungu Mwitumwa said that her country recognizes Morocco’s serious and credible efforts, as well as its initiative to find a lasting and peaceful solution under the auspices of the United Nations.
“Zambia notes the efforts made by Morocco in the economic development of the region since 1975, but also the evolution of human rights in this territory, which has become an African trade route,” she said.
In his remarks, Morocco’s Permanent Representative in Geneva, Ambassador Omar Zniber, denounced Algeria and Polisario’s efforts to mislead the international community, particularly the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, on an alleged “special situation” of human rights in Western Sahara.
MWN with MAP
