Morocco's ambassador to the UN in New York Omar Hilale spoke on Monday before the UNGA 4th committee in charge of decolonization issues after examining the Moroccan Sahara issue. He denounced the fact of keeping this issue on the committee's agenda as it violates the UN charter and the UNSC mandate.
Hilale recalled that the UN charter stipulates in its article 12 that "while the Security Council is exercising in respect of any dispute or situation the functions assigned to it in the present Charter, the General Assembly shall not make any recommendation with regard to that dispute or situation unless the Security Council so requests."
He underlined that, under this article, this committee should have relinquished the Sahara issue since 1988, when the case was taken by the UNSC, which was not the case unfortunately and the Sahara issue is still being examined by the UNSC and the 4th committee in violation of the UN charter.
He also recalled that the UNSC took charge of the Sahara issue under the UN charter, chapter VI on pacific settlement of disputes, and this is why none of its 63 resolutions had described the Sahara issue as an issue of decolonization or as an occupied territory.
News and events on Western Sahara issue/ CORCAS