43rd HRC in Geneva: Relevance of Autonomy Initiative Highlighted
Geneva - The relevance of the Moroccan autonomy initiative as a realistic solution to the Moroccan Sahara issue was highlighted, on Thursday in Geneva, on the occasion of the 43rd session of the Human Rights Council. A group of 26 States supporting the territorial integrity of Morocco emphasized the fundamental importance of this initiative proposed by the Kingdom and recognized by the Security Council as serious and credible, and as a means to resolve this regional dispute once and for all. "The resolution of this political dispute will help give concrete substance to the legitimate aspirations of the African and Arab peoples in terms of integration and development, a goal that Morocco is aiming for and for which it is making sincere efforts", noted these countries in a statement read on their behalf by Permanent Representative of Morocco to the United Nations Office at Geneva, Ambassador Omar Zniber.
The Sahara issue is a political dispute dealt with in New York where the Security Council is making efforts to reach a negotiated political solution that is mutually acceptable, said the Group in its statement under the agenda of the 43rd session of the HRC. "The Security Council welcomed the initiatives taken by Morocco and expressed no concern regarding the human rights situation in the Sahara. It reiterated once again its request to conduct a headcount of the populations in the Tindouf camps", said the signatories of the declaration. These countries also welcomed Morocco's constructive, voluntary and deep interaction with the United Nations human rights system, in particular the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the special procedures. They recalled, in this regard, that 12 special procedures carried out visits to Morocco, notably to the cities of the Sahara as Laayoune and Dakhla, where they had free and unrestricted access to all stakeholders such as the representatives of local civil society. "It is also in this context that Morocco hosted an OHCHR technical mission, at the invitation of the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco, aimed at building the capacity for action of international institutions," said the Group. The member states of the group supporting the territorial integrity of the Kingdom pointed out that "the interaction of the member states with the Council and the High Commissioner must maintain its bilateral aspect and be preserved from any instrumentalization, because it would generate counterproductive political debates in the Human Rights Council". In addition to Morocco, the declaration is supported by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, the Sultanate of Oman, Jordan, the Comoros, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, the Burkina Faso, Burundi, Djibouti, Senegal, the Central African Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Sao Tome and Principe, Paraguay, Guatemala, Saint Lucia, El Salvador, Dominica, Gambia, Guinea, and Saint Kitts and Nevis.
The Sahara issue is a political dispute dealt with in New York where the Security Council is making efforts to reach a negotiated political solution that is mutually acceptable, said the Group in its statement under the agenda of the 43rd session of the HRC. "The Security Council welcomed the initiatives taken by Morocco and expressed no concern regarding the human rights situation in the Sahara. It reiterated once again its request to conduct a headcount of the populations in the Tindouf camps", said the signatories of the declaration. These countries also welcomed Morocco's constructive, voluntary and deep interaction with the United Nations human rights system, in particular the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the special procedures. They recalled, in this regard, that 12 special procedures carried out visits to Morocco, notably to the cities of the Sahara as Laayoune and Dakhla, where they had free and unrestricted access to all stakeholders such as the representatives of local civil society. "It is also in this context that Morocco hosted an OHCHR technical mission, at the invitation of the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco, aimed at building the capacity for action of international institutions," said the Group. The member states of the group supporting the territorial integrity of the Kingdom pointed out that "the interaction of the member states with the Council and the High Commissioner must maintain its bilateral aspect and be preserved from any instrumentalization, because it would generate counterproductive political debates in the Human Rights Council". In addition to Morocco, the declaration is supported by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, the Sultanate of Oman, Jordan, the Comoros, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, the Burkina Faso, Burundi, Djibouti, Senegal, the Central African Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Sao Tome and Principe, Paraguay, Guatemala, Saint Lucia, El Salvador, Dominica, Gambia, Guinea, and Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Source : https://www.emouaten.com/english/43rd-HRC-in-Genev...