Intervention of Georgos Loucaides, Member of the Secretariat and Political Bureau of AKEL, on behalf of the European United Left, on the situation in Western Sahara
June 2014, Strasbourg
Western Sahara is the last territory of the African continent which for decades has been anticipating its decolonization. On behalf of the Group of the European United Left,
we express our full support to the right of self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, who are entitled to exercise it through the holding a free referendum, deciding in this way whether it wants to live in an independent state or within the Kingdom of Morocco. Only such a solution can ensure the respect 
towards International Law, peace and security for all the peoples of the region. This is not just the position of the POLISARIO liberation front, but also a demand of the UN Charter, as well as of the recent UN Security Council resolution for the renewal of MINURSO. We believe that this fundamental principle must be included and comprehensively govern both the Resolution and the Report.
At the same time, the foreign occupation and violations of the rights of the people of Western Sahara also includes the aspect of the looting of its natural wealth. The rich natural wealth sources, fisheries and oilfields belonging to the people of Western Sahara are today the subject of extensive economic exploitation by the Monarchy of Morocco, in collaboration of course with the big business groups of powerful European countries, without of course of benefit to the Saharawi people itself. This represents another blatant violation of the UN Charter, the resolutions of the UN General Assembly, but also of international legality which safeguards the inalienable rights of the peoples of the non-autonomous areas to their rich economic resources and decisions to utilise them.
In addition, from this podium too we call on the Moroccan authorities to implement the recommendations with regards the respect of human rights and in particular those based on the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council of the United Nations (UNHRC). On our part we also call upon the Moroccan authorities to end all forms of oppression and violence against the Saharawi people, to proceed to release all the Saharawi political prisoners and to put an end to the repression of demonstrations and the torture by the security forces.
We call upon the Moroccan authorities through legislative revisions to ensure freedom of expression, freedom of the press, the right to establish organizations and hold rallies, the termination of the military courts for citizens, as well as freedom of movement in Western Sahara for journalists, MPs, European Members of Parliament and human rights organizations. However in order for these calls not to remain mere wishes an international mechanism for the monitoring and surveillance of the human rights situation should be established. We point out as positive the readiness of POLISARIO for the establishment of such a mechanism in both Western Sahara and in the Tindouf camps. We believe that the Moroccan side must also accept the extension of the mandate of MINURSO in this direction.
