The Royal Advisory Council for Saharan Affairs participates with a large delegation in these works with a significant flow of support to the national cause and the Moroccan political solution granting broad autonomy to the Sahara to end the plight of detained people in the Tindouf camps .
The former UN Special Representative for the Sahara, Erik Jensen: Autonomy, " the more realistic solution to this conflict from an American French and Spanish point of view "
A negotiated solution based on realism and spirit of compromise to the Sahara issue is a priority in the new regional order in North Africa marked by profound change and always under the threat of terrorist groups, said Wednesday in New York, the former Special Representative of UN Secretary General for the Sahara, Erik Jensen.
In this context, the Moroccan autonomy initiative is the "more realistic solution to this conflict from a U.S. point of view and French and Spanish as welle," said the former senior UN official, who served in the region from 1993 to 1998.
For Mr. Jensen, from the events that shook the region from North Africa and the Middle East (MENA), the old order while it has not completely disappeared, has experienced great challenges. But in any case, he said, a new order must emerge to support the new generation of people, mostly young, well educated, aspiring to a better life and more aware of their surroundings and internationally.
In this context, Morocco, through the choices made as part of reforms initiated by King Mohammed VI, adopted at the historic vote last July, and widely acclaimed internationally, offers a new momentum to engage substantive discussions on the autonomy plan.
Indeed, he said to the participants in the discussions within the UN 4th Committee, the new constitution while devoting the plural identity of Morocco expands individual freedom, promotes human rights and guarantees independence of the judiciary power, as part of a genuine parliamentary democracy.
The Security Council of the United Nations does not make a mistake by raising special provisions concerning the right of man, noted the author of "Sahara: Anatomy of an impasse (2005)."
Indeed, he said, these measures, once implemented can only serve the negotiations climate, noting that "the democratic process and respect for human rights allow the autonomy initiative to become real. " In this context, he said that the UN Secretary General has restressed in its recommendations a large representation to encourage the parties in the negotiations.
The changes taking place in the world are both alarming and hopeful, encouraging to discuss precisely broad autonomy respecting local conditions, making it, he said, the "most realistic solution ".
It is clear to Mr. Jensen that the Sahara conflict is the biggest obstacle to the realization of the Maghreb Union. A union that provides countries of North Africa bright prospects for economic development within a stable and prosperous Maghreb to face future challenges. Therefore, failing in resolving the conflict in the Sahara is not only a failure for the aspirations of the peoples of the region, but an open door to all dangers. A scenario that serves the interests of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) looking for frustrated and idle young people, he warned.
A regional partnership and effective cooperation coupled with a true democracy is, for him, the best weapons to counter the terrorist threat.
International Women's Democrat Union believes that autonomy is a chance for the solution to the Sahara
Anna Maria Cervone, from the International Women's Democrat Union, said that the initiative proposed by Morocco, as part of the Kingdom's sovereignty and territorial unity, "is the appropriate solution to give the southern provinces broad powers and allow its people to manage their own affairs. "
"We emphasize the need to take this proposal to solve the Sahara problem once and for all and end the drama that continues in the Tindouf camps," said Maria Cervone, adding she is "stunned" by the duration of this "artificial conflict."
She also warned against the threat posed by the persistence of this conflict in the heart of North Africa, "with the presence of Polisario armed militias and circulation of weapons without any control, a situation that could transform this region into a fertile ground for the establishment of armed groups of all kinds. "
British NGO "Family Protection" condemns human rights abuses in Tindouf camps
For her part, the president of the British NGO "Family Protection", Jane Bahaijoub, said that the autonomy initiative is "the only viable solution" for the populations sequestered in Tindouf camps.
"I firmly believe that the only solution for the populations sequestered in Tindouf camps is the Moroccan autonomy proposal (...) autonomy is the only viable and reasonable solution", she said, denouncing the systematic violations of human rights in the camps and the policy of blur applied by the Polisario.
US Organization "Teach the Children International": The Polisario provides non-credible information on people in the camps
Nancy Huff, from the American organization "Teach the Children International," demanded the release of concrete information on the situation in the Tindouf camps, so as to advance the settlement of the Sahara issue with real solutions.
"The information provided by the Polisario are not reliable," she said, giving the example of claims that all children living in the Tindouf camps receive an education while studies by the University of Oxford prove otherwise.
"This means that the Polisario does not provide primary education for all young people," said Mrs. Huff, referring to the possible involvement of this movement in child recruitment by terrorist groups, including Al Qaeda in the Maghreb Islamic (AQIM).
US NGO "The Borrowed Voice": Polisario imposes teen marriage for political reasons
Amy Karimi, from the US NGO "The Borrowed Voice" condemned the policy of forced marriages of minors, organized by the Polisario in the Tindouf camps, a practice which, she says, serves "political interests.»
"Girls aged 13 are forced to get married to allow the Polisario to have enough offspring to support its cause," she said.
British NGO "Freedom for All": It is time for Polisario to open its camps
The Same warning delivered by the director of the British NGO "Freedom for All," Tanya Warburg, who said that the populations of the Tindouf camps "have suffered too long". "Generations are born and died in these camps without knowing other lives," she said, noting that it is time for the Polisario "to open the camps" to provide opportunities for people to make free choice whether to return to their families or stay in Morocco.
British NGO "Families in Union": Thanks to Morocco, life of Sahrawis improved
Mr. Donovan Williams, from the British NGO "Families in Union", focused on "the measures taken by the Kingdom of Morocco to improve the lives of the inhabitants" of the southern provinces, through investments in a number of infrastructure and public services.
"Human Security and Development" Organization: It is not surprising that Morocco is criticized by those who condemn free trade and support the ideas of totalitarian regimes
Mr David Eriksson, from the "Security and Human Development" Organization said for his part that contrary to what is said, "Morocco spends a lot of investment and significant resources in the Sahara and the management of natural resources of the region, including fishing and phosphates. "
This is stressed by the fact that the southern provinces are more advanced in education and health than the national average, noting also that "it is not surprising that criticism of Morocco is often the work of the same people who criticize free trade and open markets and support the ideas of totalitarian states. "
Professor at the Islamic University of Indonesia: The Polisario has not given proof of its democratic convictions
Referring to the democratic experience of the Kingdom, Mr. Tegu Santosa, from the Islamic University of Indonesia noted that Morocco is "a stable, free and democratic country" in contrast to the Tindouf camps, where people cannot move freely .
This professor, who recently visited the southern provinces of the Kingdom, welcomed the initiative of autonomy proposed by the Kingdom, regretting, however, the immobility of the Polisario, which "makes no proof of democracy and considers only two options: win or lose. "
Morocco, guarantor of peace and security in the Saharan region (ex- MINURSO observer)
Morocco is a guarantor of peace and security in the Saharan region, including in the fight against terrorism, said Wednesday in New York, Panagiotis Thodorakidis, a retired general of the Hellenic Army.
"Morocco is a pillar and a guarantor of peace and regional security and its efforts are exemplary," said the former Minurso observer before the Fourth Committee of the UN.
In a speech devoted to security threats in the Sahel region, the speaker said that Morocco is seen in this region as "a stable and moderate country, and as a responsible and reliable member of the international community."
Returning to his experience in MINURSO, the former soldier who holds a doctorate in geo-strategic analysis, evoked the fragile situation of the populations of the Tindouf camps, which "are parked for more a generation in extreme conditions and without future prospects. "
He described, in this regard, a "frustrated" population "tired of the promises of the Polisario", and "particularly vulnerable" to recruitment by armed groups, who are very active in the region.
Young people in these camps are "deprived of their basic rights, live in a corrupt system and have no hope for a better future," warned Mr. Thodorakidis, for whom, all these factors raise concerns about the evolving situation in the Sahel, a region "infested with armed groups and terrorists" and in the process of "becoming a new Afghanistan."
According to him, a rapid solution to the Sahara conflict is urgent because, he says, the absence of a regulation "is an obstacle to further cooperation against terrorism in the Sahel region."
The Greek expert expressed in this regard the relevance of the "courageous" autonomy initiative of Morocco, a proposal described as "serious and credible" by the UN Security Council.
He also urged the international community to "draw attention to the stabilizer role of Morocco in the Sahel-Saharan Africa," noting that the Kingdom can be regarded as a "major player" in the strengthening of regional cooperation.
Japanese Academician: Polisario is one of the groups that participated in the destabilization since the beginning of the Arab Spring
For his part, Professor Shoji Matsumoto from the Sapporo Gakuin University (Japan) stressed the destabilizing role played by certain groups since the beginning of the Arab Spring.
This Spring has enabled to update the volatility resulting from "the participation of armed groups and mercenaries in some conflicts such as the Libyan war," he advised.
This situation "reflects the fact that some groups can only survive in an atmosphere of confusion, tension and instability," insisted the Japanese academician, citing in this regard, the support offered by the Polisario to the regime of Muammar Gaddafi.