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It is with the approach of the Security Council vote on the renewal of the mandate of Minurso (expiring on October 31) as well as a debate on a draft resolution on the Sahrawi question that the president of the SADR and secretary general of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, submitted to the Secretary General of the UN, Antonio Guterres, a “broader proposal” for a mutually acceptable political solution which guarantees the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara and restore regional peace and stability”.
This proposal is an important step towards a solution to the conflict with Morocco, which has occupied this territory since 1975, and which makes it possible to undermine the status quo and relaunch a peace process frozen since the ceasefire agreements in 1991 and the Houston negotiations in 1996.
On Thursday, it was the turn of the Sahrawi Minister of Foreign Affairs and African Affairs, Mohamed Yeslem Beissat, to detail this proposal a little more, defending the Sahrawi position and indicating that this initiative is intended to be “global, democratic and anchored in international law, after more than 50 years of struggle against colonialism”.
During a press conference held at the headquarters of the Sahrawi embassy in Algeria, Mr. Beissat presented the Sahrawi proposal as a proactive and voluntary response to multiple calls and to both parties – the Polisario Front and Morocco – to expand and develop their respective initiatives towards a peaceful solution. “This proposal constitutes a response to the recommendations of the Security Council, which invites us to enrich the debate,” underlined the minister, specifying that it is part of the cessation of colonialism and the effective exercise of the right to self-determination of the Sahrawi people.
Guided by the principles of the United Nations Charter and the binding decisions of international courts, the Sahrawi offer integrates the classic options provided for by international law: total independence or integration freely chosen by the Sahrawi people, while respecting the borders inherited from the colonial era until 1975. “It is in perfect harmony with the rules and customs of international law, which cannot be ignored, in particular those relating to conflict resolution,” insisted Mr. Beissat.
For the Sahrawi leader, this proposal, innovative and conciliatory in its spirit, is “a friendly, sincere and noble gesture on the part of the Sahrawi people towards their Maghrebi brothers”, qualifying it as an “outstretched hand” for a global, lasting and equitable solution.
After fifty years of war, the time has come, according to the head of Sahrawi diplomacy, to “turn the page on the painful past and its wounds” to engage in another promising future.
According to Mr. Beissat, true peace is obtained “neither by intrigues nor by maneuvers”, even less by recourse to “external parties or to imposed solutions”, in allusion to American and French pressure to impose the total annexation of the Sahrawi territory. Peace is achieved through “responsible dialogue and mutual respect based on the exchange of benefits and confronting common challenges with reason, wisdom and sincerity”.
“Stop supporting one party against the other, become part of the solution and not the problem, and support both parties together to enter into serious and direct negotiations, without preconditions,” Mr. Beissat further underlined in an appeal to the permanent members of the Security Council.
“If Morocco insists on its proposal (autonomy plan inspired by Paris in 2007), which it presents as one of the options from which the Sahrawi people will be able to choose freely,” he warned that any attempt to impose a single solution would be “totally unacceptable.”
He added that “betting on external parties is a risky and costly choice, while dialogue with the Sahrawis remains the best option to achieve a just peace”, hoping that “our brothers in Morocco will understand” this evidence.
According to Mr. Beissat, “true peace is not imposed by force, but is one that addresses the root causes of conflicts in order to prevent them from recurring. »
He recalled that the question of Western Sahara goes beyond local borders: it concerns the “attempt to oppose the modification of the borders inherited from independence by force”, threatening peace and security in the Maghreb region and throughout the African continent.
“Any illegal and undemocratic change of borders is a harbinger of new wars and conflicts on our continent,” he concluded, highlighting the risks for the stability of African countries.