In a statement issued Monday in Geneva on the sidelines of the 8th session of the Council of Human Rights (CHR), Mr. Sidati El Ghallaoui, ex-Polisario representative in Rome, Aabadila Semlali, former Polisario executive and Essaâd El Moussaoui, Polisario ex-military executive, consider that today the only viable solution to enable the return of thousands of Saharans is the initiative of autonomy, supported by the international community and which has recently been regarded by the Personal Envoy of UN Secretary-General, Mr. Peter Van Walsum, as the only realistic and feasible way to settle this artificial conflict that has lasted too long.

The signatories of the appeal urged the HRC and the international community to "put an end to violations of human rights, whose victims are our brothers and sisters sequestered in the Polisario camps in Tindouf south-western of Algeria". They said they were also "concerned about the humanitarian situation faced by thousands of Sahrawi victims of an artificial conflict".  

"This situation must end. To do so, we call upon the United Nations Secretary General to ask Algeria cease perpetuating the status quo, by maintaining an inflexible stance which does not hide hegemony visions over the region," they said.

They added: "We call on Polisario and Algeria to respond positively to Resolution 1813 of the UN Security Council, which calls on parties to enter into negotiations in a spirit of realism and compromise in the light of recent developments in the Sahara conflict".

The HRC opened Monday morning at the Palais des Nations, its 8th ordinary session whose works will continue until June 18.

Source: MAP
News Western Sahara issue/ Corcas