For
Immediate Release
May 2, 2001
by
Congressman Joe Pitts
In 1975 and 1976, as America
celebrated two centuries free from colonialism, the last remnants of the old
Spanish and Portuguese empires finally crumbled.
In northwest Africa, the Sahrawi people of Western Sahara looked forward
to nationhood as Spain prepared to withdraw after 90 years of colonial rule.
In the South Pacific the tiny island colony of East Timor looked forward
to independence as the mismanaged Portuguese Empire crumbled.
And
then everything went wrong. As
Generalissimo Francisco Franco—Europe’s last fascist dictator—lay dying,
his government cut a deal with the King of Morocco to annex Western Sahara.
Likewise, the dictator of Indonesia saw a power vacuum in East Timor and
invaded. Sahrawi and Timorese hopes
for independence were dashed. Both
nations watched helplessly as their European colonial masters were replaced by
invading armies from powerful neighbors. Guerilla armies were formed, and years
of fighting ensued.
Because
self-determination is a globally acknowledged fundamental right, the world
community recognized neither annexation. In
the case of Western Sahara, the UN’s International Court of Justice ruled in
1975 that Morocco’s claims “do not establish any tie of territorial
sovereignty between the territory of Western Sahara and the Kingdom of
Morocco.” The court said it had
“not found legal ties of such a nature as might affect the application…of
the principle of the self-determination through the free and genuine expression
of the will of the peoples of the territory.”
After
a quarter century of struggle, Indonesia finally permitted a referendum on
self-determination for East Timor. In
1999, 80 percent of Timorese voted for independence. Violence erupted as the losing side lashed out, but a UN
force led by Australia restored peace. East
Timor is governed today by the United Nations Transitional Administration in
East Timor (UNTAET), and is on course for full self-governance by the end of
this year. East Timor’s path to independence has been a long and violent one,
but a united world community has at last brought justice for the long-suffering
Timorese.
But
not in Western Sahara.
Morocco
continues to rule Western Sahara with an iron fist and without regard to human
rights. Some 180,000 Sahrawis eke
out a living in refugee camps amid the scorched sand dunes of Algeria.
A military barricade longer than the Great Wall of China separates the
refugees from those they have left behind.
Thousands of families have been divided for 25 years. In 1991 the UN
brokered a ceasefire, agreed to by the Sahrawis only after Morocco promised to
abide by a UN referendum on self-determination.
But
month after month and year after year, Morocco (backed by the French) has used
tricks and technicalities to prevent the referendum from taking place.
The UN has spent years and millions of dollars registering Sahrawis for
the vote, but the process broke down when tens of thousands of Moroccans tried
to register and stack the vote. When
the UN disallowed the poseurs, Morocco appealed—causing further delays and
huge additional costs. Morocco has
also engaged in a propaganda war, accusing the Sahrawis of human rights abuses
that are obviously false and spending large sums of money lobbying Washington
for support.
I
have twice had the opportunity to visit the Sahrawi refugee camps.
The Sahrawis are people of enormously good will.
They are pro-western and moderate. A
government in exile titled the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic governs the
camps through regular and free elections. Every Sahrawi child gets a complete
education, and most are bi- or even tri-lingual.
While most men are guarding the front, the role of women has grown
significantly—much as it did in America during the days of “Rosie the
Riveter.” Women, in fact, conduct most of the day-to-day administration
of the camps.
But
as enlightened and moderate as they are, the Sahrawis are losing patience with a
process that continues to be stymied by Morocco. A return to war is a very real possibility.
If it becomes clear that there will be no referendum, the Sahrawis will
take up arms again. A return to war would destabilize the region, with possible
global repercussions.
If
25 years of foreign domination was enough for the Timorese, it should be enough
for the Sahrawis as well. Western
Sahara is one of only a few nations in the world that remain dominated by a
foreign state. The world community
united to free Kuwait from Iraq. The
world community united to guarantee Timorese independence.
The world community should unite to make the Sahrawi referendum happen
quickly and fairly. This may be our
last chance to settle the issue peacefully.
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