Saturday, August 25, 2007
Self-determination is the only solution
SADR/SOUTH AFRICA/HUMAN RIGHTS
"Self-determination: is the only juridical and legal possibility to resolve colonial conflicts such as Western Sahara’s" (Spanish jurist)
Durban, 19/08/2007 (SPS) Mr. Carlos Ruiz Miguel, Professor of Constitutional Law in the Spanish University of Saint Jaques de Compostelle, and eminent expert in the question of Western Sahara, affirmed on Friday in Durbin (South Africa) that “self-determination is the only juridical and legal possibility to resolve colonial conflicts such as Western Sahara’s".
Mr. Ruiz Miguel, who was speaking in a conference entitled "Direct negotiations and the perspectives of a just solution to the conflict in Western Sahara”, organised by the South African Institute for the Settlement of Conflicts “ACCORD”, stressed that the conflict over the sovereignty in Western Sahara between the Saharawi people and Morocco, the illegal colonizing power, "puts the UN to the test", and puts some major principle in he international law such as self-determination at stake.
"Colonial peoples must have access to self-determination through free, democratic and regular referendums as stipulated by the international law and this remains the only way out", the Spanish professor said.
Moreover, the international law "forbids the use of force to annexe foreign countries, and this is exactly what Morocco did in Western Sahara ignoring that way the continuous calls of the UN Security Council", he further stressed.
Another principle of the international law is “the respect of the colonial borders", and this is what the African countries and all the nations over the world opted for to avoid wars and problems, "Morocco is however among the few countries who violated this principle".
The Spanish expert, who presented a long set of violation committed by Morocco on the ground, and who considered that the Moroccan regime does not seem to be willing to respect the international legality, considered that the Saharawi people have got the legitimate right to defend their rights including by resuming armed struggle.
"The Moroccan vision of giving Western Sahara autonomy within its national sovereignty is contrary to the international law because it is unilateral and can be qualified whatsoever but can never be a mean of exercising self-determination. To put the Saharawi voters in front of one and unique choice is in reality giving them no choice at all", he said. (SPS)
020/090/000 191800 Aug 07 SPS
"Self-determination: is the only juridical and legal possibility to resolve colonial conflicts such as Western Sahara’s" (Spanish jurist)
Durban, 19/08/2007 (SPS) Mr. Carlos Ruiz Miguel, Professor of Constitutional Law in the Spanish University of Saint Jaques de Compostelle, and eminent expert in the question of Western Sahara, affirmed on Friday in Durbin (South Africa) that “self-determination is the only juridical and legal possibility to resolve colonial conflicts such as Western Sahara’s".
Mr. Ruiz Miguel, who was speaking in a conference entitled "Direct negotiations and the perspectives of a just solution to the conflict in Western Sahara”, organised by the South African Institute for the Settlement of Conflicts “ACCORD”, stressed that the conflict over the sovereignty in Western Sahara between the Saharawi people and Morocco, the illegal colonizing power, "puts the UN to the test", and puts some major principle in he international law such as self-determination at stake.
"Colonial peoples must have access to self-determination through free, democratic and regular referendums as stipulated by the international law and this remains the only way out", the Spanish professor said.
Moreover, the international law "forbids the use of force to annexe foreign countries, and this is exactly what Morocco did in Western Sahara ignoring that way the continuous calls of the UN Security Council", he further stressed.
Another principle of the international law is “the respect of the colonial borders", and this is what the African countries and all the nations over the world opted for to avoid wars and problems, "Morocco is however among the few countries who violated this principle".
The Spanish expert, who presented a long set of violation committed by Morocco on the ground, and who considered that the Moroccan regime does not seem to be willing to respect the international legality, considered that the Saharawi people have got the legitimate right to defend their rights including by resuming armed struggle.
"The Moroccan vision of giving Western Sahara autonomy within its national sovereignty is contrary to the international law because it is unilateral and can be qualified whatsoever but can never be a mean of exercising self-determination. To put the Saharawi voters in front of one and unique choice is in reality giving them no choice at all", he said. (SPS)
020/090/000 191800 Aug 07 SPS
