On the 64th anniversary of UN Resolution 1514, the representative of the POLISARIO Front, Oubi Bouchraya, reaffirmed in Geneva the importance of the self-determination referendum as the only viable solution for Western Sahara, urging the international community to fulfill its legal and ethical obligations.
Geneva (Switzerland) (SPS) – In the framework of the event organized by the Group of Friends of Western Sahara at the United Nations Palace in Geneva to commemorate the 64th anniversary of UN General Assembly Resolution 1514 (XV), which enshrines the principle of self-determination as the basis of international law, the representative of the Frente POLISARIO to Switzerland and the UN institutions, Oubi Bouchraya, highlighted the unwavering mission of the Sahrawi movement to respect international law and defend the will of the Sahrawi people as the only way to resolve the decolonization process of Western Sahara.
Bouchraya stressed that the self-determination referendum is the legitimate, democratic mechanism agreed upon by both parties to determine the final status of the territory, and that it remains the only viable and applicable solution to the conflict.
“The referendum is the only solution so far “agreed” between the parties, under the auspices of the UN and OAU (now the AU), within the framework of the original settlement plan provided for by their organization at the beginning of 1992 and then at the end of 1998, according to the Houston Accords and the mediation of James Baker. There is no other solution agreed between the parties, and there may never be one,” he recalled.
Therefore, Bouchraya urged the international community, and in particular the UN Security Council, to comply with its legal and ethical obligations to ensure the implementation of the self-determination referendum in Western Sahara. “Respect for international law must not be negotiable. The Sahrawi people have the right to decide, and it is the duty of the United Nations to enforce this right,” he said.
The Sahrawi representative described the referendum as the only solution. “The referendum is a democratic exercise that places the Sahrawi people at the centre, giving them the opportunity to decide freely, without external pressure or interference,” he explained.
He also stressed that the referendum is a realistic and viable solution. The UN, through MINURSO, has already completed the technical preparations necessary for its organisation, including the identification of voters and the logistics for the return of refugees. Bouchraya recalled the successful precedents of UN-supervised referendums, such as those in East Timor and South Sudan, emphasising that the only barrier in the case of Western Sahara has been the lack of political will, especially on the part of the Moroccan occupation regime and some actors in the Security Council.
The Sahrawi diplomat also criticised the illegal autonomy proposal presented by Morocco in 2007, calling it unilateral, unrealistic and contrary to the right to self-determination. According to him, the Moroccan proposal aims to impose Moroccan sovereignty over the territory without consulting the Sahrawi people, which contradicts the fundamental principles of international law.
«For Morocco to be able to grant autonomy to Western Sahara, it would first need to have sovereignty over the territory, something that can only be achieved with the consent of the Sahrawi people, expressed through a self-determination referendum,» he argued.
Oubi Bouchraya concluded his speech by recalling that the mission and function of the POLISARIO Front are subject to the defence of the legitimate aspirations of the Sahrawi people to freely decide on their future.
