ECONOMIC VIABILITY MUST NOT BE USED TO JUSTIFY DELAY IN SELF-DETERMINATION, FOURTH COMMITTEE IS TOLD

10 October 1996

Press Release
GA/SPD/86

ECONOMIC VIABILITY MUST NOT BE USED TO JUSTIFY DELAY IN SELF-DETERMINATION, FOURTH COMMITTEE IS TOLD

19961010 Decolonization General Debate Ends; Petitioners Say POLISARIO Obstructs Western Sahara Settlement, Human Rights Abuses Alleged

Self-determination and independence were sacrosanct and could not be circumscribed by considerations of size or geography, several speakers told the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) this afternoon as it concluded its general debate on decolonization matters.

The argument of economic viability could not be used as justification to set aside the process of self-determination, the representative of the United Republic of Tanzania said. It was stressed that the inadequacy of political, economic, social and educational preparedness should never serve as a pretext for delaying the right to self-determination and independence.

The lack of progress in the area of decolonization was a direct result of the reluctance of Administering powers to fulfil their duties under the Charter, as well as their unwillingness to cooperate with the Special Committee, the representative of Iran said. The representative of Trinidad and Tobago, speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), stressed the need for filling the vacant seats in the Special Committee on Decolonization.

Also this afternoon, the Committee heard five petitioners on Western Sahara, including former members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro (POLISARIO). One of them said the POLISARIO was a totalitarian organization and its leadership did not want a referendum in which all Saharawis could participate. He emphasized that in Tindouf camps, women were separated from their children, who were placed in paramilitary camps.

Another petitioner, also a former POLISARIO member, said humanitarian aid by the West was being used by the POLISARIO for its own purposes. The truth was that the POLISARIO had, in fact, engaged in ethnic cleansing against many tribes. A systematic diverting of aid had occurred. Much of that aid had been diverted to income in current accounts in foreign countries.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had found that the Saharawi refugee camps were open and accessible, the representative of Algeria said. He stressed that United Nations officials had been able to move in the camps without impediment and questions had been asked and answered without hesitation or fear. Algerian and Saharawan authorities had ensured free access to the Organization's officials, as well as their full support for the implementation of the mandate of the UNHCR. Officials had found that refugees wanted voluntary repatriation within the context of an overall settlement.

During the general debate on the situation in Western Sahara, several speakers expressed concern at the situation. The representative of Kenya regretted the lack of political will and flexibility which had resulted in the suspension of the identification process. He urged the Government of Morocco and the POLISARIO to engage in high-level negotiations for the resumption of the identification process.

The representative of Morocco said his country had done its utmost to implement the settlement plan; it was opposition by the POLISARIO that had set back the process.

The representative of Zimbabwe said the recent actions by the Security Council to reduce the military component of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), despite the fact that the settlement plan had not been implemented, suggested that the plight of the Saharawi people was not a priority for it. He called for innovative ways to break the impasse.

Statements were also made by the representatives of Cape Verde, Bahrain, Pakistan, Uganda, Grenada, Bolivia (on behalf of the Rio group), Brazil and Mozambique. The United Kingdom spoke in the exercise of its right of reply.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, 16 October, to continue its deliberations.

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Committee Work Programme

The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) met this afternoon to hear petitioners on Western Sahara and to continue its general debate on decolonization questions. (For background information see Press Releases GA/SPD/83 of 1 October, GA/SPD/84 of 7 October and GA/SPD/85 of 9 October.)

Petitioners on Western Sahara

MOUSTAPHA BOUH BAZARANI, petitioner on the issue of Western Sahara, stated that he had formerly been a leader in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro (POLISARIO). Created in the 1970s, the POLISARIO had become a puppet in the cold war. There were some in the organization who had advocated state socialism and the destabilization of Morocco. The POLISARIO was a totalitarian organization. Its leadership did not want a referendum in which all Saharawis could participate.

He said a tragedy was being experienced in the Tindouf camps. The population gathered there was forced to participate in revolutionary committees and self-criticism meetings. Women were separated from their children, who were placed in paramilitary camps. The POLISARIO had killed thousands of Saharawis. Some former prisoners had been marked with hot irons and bore the initials "FP" on their bodies. Families were fragmented: children in Cuba, the mother in one camp, the father in the Front. Public images of women chanting slogans in favour of the dictatorship of the proletariat were a macabre comedy. Numbers in the camps were misconstrued; financial assistance from the international community was diverted to Algeria, Mauritania and Mali.

GAJMOULA BENT EBBI, petitioner on Western Sahara, said she was a former member of Frente POLISARIO and had lived in a Tindouf camp until leaving in 1990. International organizations did not understand the situation in Western Sahara. The POLISARIO was an organization of criminals. Its victims were the Saharawi people, particularly women, children and the elderly.

She said women were exploited by the POLISARIO; they were not respected, and had no rights. The POLISARIO projected a positive image of women to the outside world in order to obtain financial assistance which was then used to corrupt individuals. Women had no control over their families; children were the property of the organization. At the age of thirteen or fifteen, children were sent to fight in the war. Women were being made into reproductive machines, producing boy children for war. Women and children were shifted from camp to camp and prohibited from leaving. Some were able to return to Morocco, but most were not. Some women in Western Sahara were imprisoned in Tindouf for having had children out of wedlock or disobeying the orders of the

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POLISARIO. The situation in Tindouf was tragic. She wanted the real situation to be known to international organizations, particularly those that dealt with refugees.

EL HOUCINE BOUIDA, petitioner on Western Sahara, said he had been a prisoner in a cell that was one metre high. He had undergone torture, and to this day was unaware of his crime. In a similar manner, many young children and adolescents had been taken away from their families by the POLISARIO and were being trained in the use of weapons. In camps where they were supposed to be educated, a typical arithmetic question was: "If I have five bullets, how many Moroccan soldiers can I kill?" As a result, the children went on to become prematurely old soldiers.

He said education in the POLISARIO camps was "a nightmare" and the few students who returned home after such education were closely watched by the POLISARIO. It was unfair that young people, born without a homeland, were turned into fodder for war. He said that the POLISARIO was misleading everyone.

BAHIR DKILL, petitioner on Western Sahara, said he was a founding member of the POLISARIO and had represented it in several countries. He stressed that the matter of the Sahara continued to exist because it benefited the leaders of the POLISARIO. Speaking of the tragedy being experienced by the Saharawi people in Tindouf, he said that, for more than 20 years now, an armed group had been keeping 20,000 people as prisoners in the camps. It was a population which had been tortured and violated.

Humanitarian aid by the West had been used by the POLISARIO for its own purpose, he said. Many aid agencies had been profoundly deceived. Throughout long years, there had been misinformation, and many now believed that POLISARIO was a victim. The truth was that the POLISARIO had, in fact, engaged in ethnic cleansing against many tribes. A systematic diverting of aid, right from the time it arrived in Algiers, had occurred. Much of that aid had been diverted to income in current accounts in foreign countries. Out of the four camps, only one had a small clinic.

Moreover, the real numbers of the needy were not known, he said. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) had been unable to monitor aid that it sent to the area. The POLISARIO had inflated, at will, the population in the area under its control. At the present time a figure of 200,000 was being mentioned, whereas there were only 40,000 people in the area. He stressed that the POLISARIO did not want a definitive solution to the problem. All it wanted was a maintenance of the status quo.

MOHAMED BAHI, petitioner on Western Sahara, said that in 1987, while visiting the POLISARIO camps in Tindouf as a journalist, he had been arrested

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and imprisoned for ten years. He had been held in several prisons, including a secret underground prison. He had been tortured, kept in complete isolation for years and denied medical care. The only crime of the thousands detained was their opposition to POLISARIO. He called on the United Nations to save the Saharawi people "from the POLISARIO executioners".

Hundreds in the camps had lost their mental abilities from the isolation and torture, he continued. Detainees existed under the most abominable conditions. He had witnessed terrible cruelties. He had seen hands cut off and tongues cut out. He had seen POLISARIO slogans burned onto skin, pregnant women whipped. Elderly religious leaders had been physically tortured and forced to undertake military training.

ABDALLAH BAALI (Algeria), commenting on Mr. Bahi's statement, said the UNHCR had found that the Saharawi refugee camps were open and accessible. United Nations officials had been able to circulate without impediment, questions had been asked and answered without hesitation or fear. Algerian and Saharawan authorities had ensured free access to the Organization's officials, as well as their full support for the implementation of the mandate of the UNHCR. The UNHCR office in Tindouf was fully operational. Officials had found that during informal contacts, refugees always mentioned voluntary repatriation, but wanted to repatriate within the context of an overall settlement, rather than as spontaneous individual acts.

Statements

ROSLYN KHAN-CUMMINGS (Trinidad and Tobago), speaking on behalf of the Member States of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said that in 1996 there were still 17 Non-Self-Governing Territories, mainly in the Pacific and Caribbean regions, at different levels of economic, political and social development. If the goals established by the Plan of Action for the International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism by the Year 2000 were to be attained, several issues would have to be addressed. Those included the strategies of the Special Committee on decolonization, the membership of the Committee and the role of regional and international governmental and non- governmental organizations in the decolonization process.

She emphasized the need for visiting missions to observe the situation first-hand in Non-Self-Governing Territories. She noted the decline in the membership of the Special Committee and said the possibility of filling in the vacant seats should be looked at. There was a need for a new compact between the United Nations, the Territories and the Administering powers. Cooperation of all Administering powers was essential if the Committee was to effectively fulfil its mandate. She congratulated New Zealand for its exemplary performance as an Administering power.

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She emphasized that the role of regional organizations and agencies of the United Nations was crucial in addressing the needs of Non-Self-Governing Territories, many of which were small islands. She commended the continuing involvement and support given by the South Pacific Forum to the territories in the Pacific and the role of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in several technical projects in the Caribbean. The CARICOM countries were acutely aware of the constraints of small islands, especially their vulnerability to natural disasters. They had noted progress in the area of natural disaster reduction and the proclamation of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction.

JALAL SAMADI (Iran) said that despite the United Nations promotion of self-determination, there were still 17 Territories that were non-self- governing. The Special Committee on decolonization remained of utmost importance as long as the right of self-determination was denied to the people of those Territories. The lack of progress in the area of decolonization was a direct result of the reluctance of Administering powers to fulfil their duties under the Charter, as well as lack of willingness to cooperate with the Special Committee.

The Special Committee had shown flexibility by adopting innovative approaches, he said. However, some Administering powers refused to participate in its meetings or allow it to send visiting missions to the territories. Iran believed that the United Nations visiting missions were the best way of asserting the wishes of the people of Non-Self-Governing Territories.

He said it was regrettable that the Secretariat of the United Nations no longer paid adequate attention to the issue of decolonization in general, and the Special Committee in particular. It had even gone so far as to stop issuing press releases on the Committee's meetings.

JOSEPH ODHIAMBO (Kenya) said that he was concerned that three-and-a-half decades after the adoption of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, there was still in the United Nations a list of some 17 Territories which were non-self-governing. He urged all Administering powers to cooperate with the Special Committee. The inadequacy of political, economic, social and educational preparedness should never serve as a pretext for delaying the right to self-determination and independence.

He praised the Government of New Zealand for its commitment to assist the people of Tokelau to attain a greater degree of self-government and economic self-sufficiency in preparation for their future status.

On Western Sahara, he expressed disappointment that despite the adoption of several General Assembly and Security Council resolutions, the parties had

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made insufficient progress towards the fulfilment of the settlement plan of a holding a free, fair and impartial referendum. The lack of political will and flexibility which had resulted in the suspension of the identification process was regrettable. He urged the Government of Morocco and the POLISARIO to engage in high-level negotiations for the resumption of the identification process.

HAMID NAWAZ KHAN (Pakistan) said that as one of the first countries to obtain independence through the exercise of self-determination, Pakistan was fully committed to the process of decolonization. Today decolonization was being replaced by new forms of colonialism. Size, vulnerability to natural disasters, and other factors that distinguished the remaining Non-Self- Governing Territories should not prevent the exercise of their right to independence.

Many former colonized countries, after gaining independence, had emulated the example of their former colonial masters, he said. For almost 50 years, Jammu and Kashmir had been denied their right to self-determination. Nearly 60,000 people from Jammu and Kashmir had been killed. There were more than 650,000 armed men in the occupation army, a number that equalled one soldier for every three adult males.

The people of Jammu and Kashmir should be allowed to decide their future without external intervention or coercion, he continued. The international community must not allow India to put forth its "hegemonistic agenda and misplaced irredentism".

MANUEL COUTO DE MATOS (Cape Verde) said the implementation of the peaceful settlement of disputes in Western Sahara through dialogue and diplomatic negotiations was essential. An impartial, free and fair referendum was needed. Every effort must be made to preserve the cease-fire or the region might again plunge into instability, violence and destruction.

The present quasi-paralysis of the peace process was a threat to the cease-fire. The whole process must be restarted quickly. Dialogue between the two parties was irreplaceable. He strongly encouraged the POLISARIO and the Government of Morocco to continue their recent dialogue with the flexibility necessary to find a mutually acceptable agreement.

AHMED SNOUSSI (Morocco) said the settlement plan in the Sahara faced a deadlock. He appreciated the tireless efforts of the Secretary-General and his Special Representative to get the process back on track. Morocco had done its utmost to implement the settlement plan, as was reflected in the various reports of the Secretary-General. The suspension of identification was not Morocco's fault and both the Secretary-General and the Security Council were aware of this.

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Morocco had wanted the referendum to succeed; it was in their interests that the process be transparent. Morocco was in favour of a referendum with all Saharawi, as endorsed by the Security Council. The plan had been accepted by the parties but then the other side questioned the inclusion of all those in the Sahara. The Secretary-General's report to the Security Council of 8 September 1995 said that MINURSO had to consider all requests in good and due form. The other side's opposition had led to a stoppage in the process. The main obstacle to the settlement process, as indicated in the report of the Secretary-General of 24 November 1995, was that POLISARIO had refused to participate in the identification process of some groups.

To deal with the deadlock, the Secretary-General had suggested that the two parties be invited to ensure the presence of a sheik or his representative. If one party was not able to have a sheik present, then identification would be on the basis of appropriate documentation with only one party's sheik present. If neither party had a sheik available, then identification would be solely on basis of documentation.

A draft resolution containing the plan had been before the Security Council on 7 December 1995. The other side had objected to the draft in letters to the Council. That body had then yielded to the pressure and abandoned the draft under the pretext of needing both parties to endorse the Secretary-General's proposal. This amounted to a message of encouragement to the other side, and explained its obstinacy in refusing to participate in the identification process unless its conditions, which were contrary to the plan, were met.

Instead of using its authority and taking appropriate measures against the other party, the Security Council had succumbed to pressure from the other side and abandoned its consideration of the draft.

The UNHCR had visited the camps in Tindouf only once although they had existed for 20 years. The international community needed to put an end to the suffering and kidnapping of the Saharawi in the camps.

He said MINURSO had been exercising its mandate. It comprised persons from more than 40 countries; "they could not all be blind, deaf or dumb". Morocco asked the United Nations to enable the return of the Saharawi to their homeland with the usual guarantees. The Security Council should not permit the continuing sufferings of those poor people. Kidnapped refugees had the right to return home. If they wanted to go home only in the context of an overall settlement plan, as had been stated earlier, how did one explain the fact that dozens of Saharawi crossed mine-infested areas to get back home?

The King of Morocco and his representatives received and would continue to receive those who had been led astray. Many people around the world were now beginning to understand the real issues involved.

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He urged that the animosity not be increased. Both parties should focus on the future so the displaced might once again find their families and work for the development of Morocco.

FAISAL ALZAYANI (Bahrain) said he was proud of the success of the United Nations in the area of decolonization. History would record in golden letters the role that the Organization had played. Since the adoption 30 years ago by the General Assembly of a resolution on decolonization, the United Nations had worked constantly to that end. It had adopted the Declaration on the granting of independence to colonial peoples and had reaffirmed the need to assure the complete achievement of decolonization.

Barely 20 years after the Declaration, the General Assembly had adopted a Plan of Action for its complete implementation. In the years that had followed the adoption of the Declaration, most of the colonized peoples had achieved independence. The need for eliminating the various manifestations of colonialism which hampered the political and educational development of the colonized, had been recognized.

TIMOTHY MUSINGA BANDORA (Tanzania) said full global decolonization was an objective that the Assembly had set for the United Nations decades ago, and it remained an imperative which had to be met. It could not be set aside on any account. Self-determination and independence was sacrosanct and could not be circumscribed by considerations of size or geography. The argument of economic viability of those territories could not be used as justification to set aside the process of self-determination.

Self-determination, even if it led to independence, should not be feared, he said. True choices could not be made by people who were dependant. He regretted that several Administering powers had failed to extend their cooperation to the awareness-building activities of the Committee. He expressed concern about developments in Western Sahara and said progress ran the risk of being reversed there. The resumption of the identification process was crucial. He expressed concern that the Security Council had chosen the option of gradual abandonment of Western Sahara.

ROGERS BYAMUGISHA (Uganda) said that, as a former colony, his country appreciated the value of self-determination and freedom. It had followed with keen interest the developments in Western Sahara and expressed deep concern over the impasse in the implementation of the settlement plan and the subsequent suspension of the identification process. He appealed to both the parties to engage in high-level negotiations, and to the United Nations to stand firmly by the side of the Saharawi people in their hour of need.

A representative of the POLISARIO had told the Committee that, unless the deadlock was broken, the September 1991 cease-fire might be the next casualty. Clearly, time was limited. Uganda was optimistic that all had not been lost. Africa had faced its fair share of conflicts, many of which could

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have been avoided by dialogue. He urged the parties involved to give peace a chance.

LAMUEL STANISLAUS (Grenada) expressed concern at the stalemate in the dialogue between Morocco and the Saharawi people. He urged the parties to resume dialogue and engage in negotiations. He stressed that the chance for peace must not be lost.

JEPISI CHEKENYERE (Zimbabwe) said his country attached great importance to the role played by the United Nations in promoting the exercise of the right of self-determination by the people in colonial territories. He urged Administering powers to cooperate with the Special Committee on decolonization.

Six years after the United Nations settlement plan, the people of Western Sahara had yet to express their views as foreseen in the plan, he said. The recent actions by the Security Council to reduce the military component of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), despite the fact that the settlement plan had not been implemented, suggested that the plight of the Saharawi people was not a priority for it. Innovative ways to break the impasse on Western Sahara had to be found.

He emphasized that the process should not be held hostage by those who were bent on altering the identification criteria based on the Spanish census of 1974. The settlement plan was the best option for pursuing a long-lasting solution.

EDGAR CAMACHO-OMISTE (Bolivia), speaking for the Rio Group (Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Jamaica, Mexico, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela) said the United Nations had played a decisive role in the attainment of decolonization. Full cooperation by Administering powers was now necessary for the Special Committee to fulfil its mandate. There were still hundreds of thousands of people living under colonial governments. The international community had a commitment to those who aspired to independence.

The Rio Group urged the development of a solid economic and political base in the Territories, as well as the protection of culture and environment. The time had come for the Territories to be free of the deployment and stockpiling of weapons of mass destruction.

Regarding Western Sahara, the Rio Group supported the settlement plan established in Resolutions 658 (1990) and 690 (1991) of the Security Council, he said. He appealed to both parties to hold direct talks and participate in a just and impartial referendum which would make self-determination possible.

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He said the positive relations between the United Kingdom and Argentina would make possible the resolution of the question of the sovereignty of the Malvinas Islands.

JOSE EDUARDO MARTINS FELICIO (Brazil) said the work of the Special Committee must continue. With only three years remaining in the United Nations International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism, there remained 17 Non-Self-Governing Territories. A comprehensive approach to decolonization should include the expansion of the political and economic bases of the Territories.

On the issue of Western Sahara, Brazil called on both parties to work with the Secretary-General in a genuine spirit of cooperation so that the settlement plan may finally be implemented. Continuation of the cease-fire was a great achievement.

On East Timor, he said the best hope lay in the continuing talks between Portugal and Indonesia, as well as Intra-East-Timorese Dialogue. He supported Argentina's rights in the dispute over sovereignty of the Malvinas Islands, and reiterated interest in a prompt solution, in accordance with the United Nations and the Organization of American States (OAS) resolutions.

ISAC MAMUDO MASSAMBY (Mozambique) said the question of Western Sahara was of profound concern to the international community. Dialogue between the parties was the best alternative to solving differences. The experience of Mozambique showed that peace was facilitated by political will being demonstrated by both parties. Accommodation was necessary on the part of both, in the interests of the well-being of their peoples.

He encouraged the two parties to demonstrate without delay the political will and flexibility needed to permit the resumption and early completion of the identification process and the implementation of the peace plan.

Right of Reply

PAUL ARKWRIGHT (United Kingdom), in right of reply, said that in reference to the statements made by Bolivia on behalf of the Rio Group, and by Brazil, on the sovereignty dispute over the Falkland, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, the position of the United Kingdom had been stated in the United Kingdom's exercise of its right of reply to the Argentine Foreign Minister's statement to the General Assembly on 24 September.

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