Statement
on the Establishment of the
Congressman Joe Pitts
July, 1999
I am delighted to
be here today for the announcement of the founding of the U.S.-Western Sahara
Foundation. It is encouraging
to see the commitment to the issue of Western Sahara reflected in the diversity
and quality of individuals on the Board of Advisors. As you have just heard, the purpose of the U.S.-Western
Sahara Foundation is to educate the American people about the long-running
conflict over the land known as Western Sahara and the possibility for a just
end to this conflict. It is my hope
that this Foundation will contribute substantially to the entering of a
new millennium in which democracy and the protection of human rights flourish
throughout the continent of Africa and peace for all peoples of Africa prevails.
As many of you may
know, the United Nations Settlement Plan for Western Sahara calls for a
referendum for the Sahrawi people so that they may decide for themselves whether
they would like to be incorporated into Morocco or be their own independent
country. I commend and fully
support the work of former Secretary of State James Baker, III and the
leadership of MINURSO in implementing the Settlement Plan. And, I am encouraged by the establishment of the U.S.-Western
Sahara Foundation that will lend further support to Secretary Baker and
other U.N. representatives working to bring a just resolution to this conflict.
International human
rights documents clearly state that self-determination is a basic right to which
all peoples of the world should have access. The right to self-determination, however, continues to be
violated because the U.N. and its representatives actively have been thwarted as
they have attempted to carry out a plan agreed upon by all parties to the
conflict over Western Sahara. I
regret the fact that, as stated in a number of reports by the Secretary General
of the United Nations, various parties continue to obstruct the process of
bringing a resolution to the conflict. The
end goal of a referendum should have been accomplished long before now.
Unfortunately, because of various obstructions to the implementation of
the Settlement Plan, the Sahrawi people continue to struggle for survival in
refugee camps in the midst of the harsh Sahara desert.
Last year, I traveled to Tindouf to see firsthand the conditions in which the people of the Western Sahara currently live as a result of the continued delay of the referendum. In spite of their tremendously difficult life, the Sahrawis extended kindness and hospitality to me that is forever etched on my heart. I was deeply impressed with the strength, determination, and ingenuity these 165,000 refugees showed despite living in these camps for over 20 years.
The continued
delays in bringing the referendum to pass allow for continued violations of
human rights. While in the refugee
camps, I personally visited with 83 Moroccan military personnel who have been
freed by Western Sahara as a gesture of goodwill and whom the King of Morocco
will not permit to return to their country.
These men begged me to contact their King and request that he allow them
to return to their country and be with their families.
In addition, I met with the organization which tracks missing Sahrawis.
According to the U.S. State Department Country Reports On Human Rights
Practices for 1997, Morocco, “After years of denying that Sahrawis were
imprisoned in Morocco for Polisario-related military or political activity, the
Government of Morocco released 300 such prisoners in 1991. Entire families and Sahrawis who had disappeared in the
mid-1970s were among those released. The
Government of Morocco has failed to conduct a public inquiry or to explain how
and why those released spent up to 16 years in incommunicado detention without
charge or trial.” As of this
time, 526 Sahrawis remain among the “disappeared;” they are either prisoners
held by Morocco or are missing. Furthermore,
I examined weapons and land mines captured by the Sahrawi people and saw
manufacturer stamps that indicated these weapons were made in the United States
of America. U.S. military hardware
has been used illegally against the Sahrawi people.
As you may know,
the American people, through their taxes, have invested heavily in the United
Nations and in North Africa. It is
vital, therefore, that the American people understand the nature of the conflict
over Western Sahara and the importance of bringing a just solution to this
situation. Currently, there is a
chance, through the full and final implementation of the United Nations
Settlement Plan, that lasting peace will reign in this region - a peace that
will help bring stability and democracy to North Africa.
Therefore, we must ensure that the investment of the American people is
not used to organize and carry out a flawed election, but instead is used to
support a free, fair, and transparent referendum in which the standards are met
for a democratic election. I look
forward to the actions the U.S.-Western Sahara Foundation will take to
support and possibly even assist Secretary Baker and United Nations personnel as
they work to implement the Settlement Plan.
The parties
involved in the conflict over Western Sahara negotiated a cease-fire with the
understanding that the people of Western Sahara could participate in a free,
fair and transparent referendum to decide their future. I
urge all parties involved in the referendum process to maintain their
commitments to the utmost. A failure to hold a free, fair and transparent
referendum would be a failure for all interested parties, including the
international community and the United States of America.
It is vital that we, as individuals living in a free nation, support the efforts of those who seek to protect and uphold the rights of all peoples of the world, including those of the people of Western Sahara to self-determination. Again, I am delighted to be here today to celebrate the establishment of the U.S-Western Sahara Foundation.
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