The Polisario Front, the movement behind the partially recognized Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), can return to the negotiating table amid the current escalation with Morocco over control of Western Sahara only if a number of conditions are met, with a referendum on the disputed region's status being one of them, the movement's representative to Russia, Ali Salem Mohamed Fadel, said on Thursday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th November, 2020) The Polisario Front, the movement behind the partially recognized Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), can return to the negotiating table amid the current escalation with Morocco over control of Western Sahara only if a number of conditions are met, with a referendum on the disputed region's status being one of them, the movement's representative to Russia, Ali Salem Mohamed Fadel, said on Thursday.
Last week, Morocco launched an operation against the Polisario Front in the buffer zone of Guerguerat in the Moroccan Sahara. Rabat says that it had no choice but to do it after the movement invaded the Morocco-controlled territories of Western Sahara in October, blocking passenger and cargo traffic across the border with Mauritania. The Polisario Front, in turn, accused Rabat of violating the 1991 ceasefire and initiating a war.
"This is very simple. In 1991 we signed an agreement under the UN aegis with the goal to have a referendum for the people of Western Sahara. This is our goal: give us an opportunity to vote and decide the future of our country. We are not against the talks. We are not against peace settlement but now the peace settlement will only be possible under several conditions," Fadel said at a press conference in Moscow.
According to the Polisario Front representative, the key conditions are Moroccan forces' withdrawal and a UN-led referendum in the region.
"First: they [Moroccan forces] leave Guerguerat and close this loophole completely. Second is for the UN mission [MINURSO] to fulfill its main duty, i.e. to hold a referendum. The third is the appointment of an exact date of the referendum. And the fourth is that the UN must get involved in this process and make Morocco comply with its obligations before the UN," Fadel said.
Morocco has long been involved in a conflict with the Polisario Front movement over control of Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony that was transferred under control of Morocco and Mauritania in 1973. In 1976, Polisario Front declared that it had established the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). This partially recognized state claims Western Sahara but controls only a small part of it. The UN does not recognize the republic and demands that a referendum on self-determination be held. Morocco pushes a plan for the region's autonomy, while Polisario insists that the status of the territory should be determined by a referendum among the local population.
