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| Today: 09 February 2010 Time: 08:20 PM |
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| UNSC shocked at Special envoy''s call on Sahrawi people to give up |
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| Politics 4/21/2008 9:45:00 PM |
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independence
UNITED NATIONS, April 21 (KUNA) -- Security Council President Dumisani
Kumalo of South Africa on Monday expressed shock that the Secretary-General's
special envoy for Western Sahara Peter Van Walsum advised the Polisario Front
to be "realistic" and give up their pursuit of independence for their people
from Morocco.
"This morning we were suggendly sent a second document, other than the
report of the Secretary-General's, which was the reflection of the opinions of
Mr. Van Walsum. These opinions seem to contradict the report of the
Secretary-General. So we decided to focus on the report of the
Secretary-General," Kumalo told reporters follwing a council closed-door
meeting on the issue of Western Sahara.
"It is not helpful when you suddenly have this ad-hoc report that comes up
and say somthing different (from the Secretary-General's report.) It was
confusing. We were confronted with two (contradictory) reports," he complained.
Van Walsum raised during the consultations with council members in his
personal capacity the "realistic option" that independence of Western Sahara
"may not be possible for the people of Western Sahara, and asked the Polisario
Front to become realistic and realize they might not achieve their goal of
independence."
Kumalo said he reacted in his national capacity in the council saying "hey,
if we are in that business, we should also tell the Palestinians to forget it
and be realistic that they would never get it. That is the danger of the so
called realism."
In his report to the council on the issue of Western Sahara last week,
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the parties - Morocco and the Polisario
Front - to continue to negotiate and make every concerted effort in their next
meetings to try and come to a mutual agreement.
The two parties held four rounds of UN sponsored meetings during the last
few months but in vain.
The "unfortunate thing", Kumalo said, "is that realism is only applied to
the people of Western Sahara, not on Morocco, and I think, indirectly, it
sends the wrong message to Morocco. The last thing you want to do in this case
is to give the impression to the parties that the suggestions of one party
have more value than the suggestions of another."
"We urge Mr. Van Walsum to continue (his work) by relying on the
resolutions of the Security Council which call on both parties to do this," he
said.
A UN official said the council did the right thing concentrating on Ban's
report, because that is the only one that should be on the council's table.
(end)
sj.bz.
KUNA 212145 Apr 08NNNN
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