Decolonisation, self-determination and reparations · 2 mentions in this passage
Algeria will contribute to every effort that opens to them pathways towards stability, development and integration. Within this framework, Algeria reaffirms its principled support for the right of the people of the Western Sahara to self-determination. This is based on our firm conviction that issues of decolonization cannot be resolved ever, through imposing a fait accompli or following that logic. Rather, decolonization ends when people are enabled to exercise their rights guaranteed to them under international law, fully and without any distortion and without any curtailment. Algeria welcomes the organization of direct negotiations between the two parties to the conflict, namely the Kingdom of Morocco and the Polisario Front at the beginning of this year. These negotiations were held under the auspices of the United Nations and with the assistance of the United States of America. From this viewpoint, allow me to present what we sincerely and genuinely consider necessary for a lasting and just solution to the question of the Western Sahara. First, Algeria stresses that the success of the negotiations process requires both parties to engage in good faith and with a genuine commitment to reaching a political solution that is fair lasting and mutually acceptable, away from the logic of dictates and bargains. Algeria also stresses that any serious negotiating process can only be conducted properly within the framework of the relevant United Nations references, and with full respect to the organization's long standing doctrine on decolonization. Second, Algeria warns that any attempt to circumvent this framework of reference or to marginalize those who hold legitimate rights, namely the people of the Western Sahara and their sole legitimate representative, the Polisario Front. Any such attempt will not contribute to resolving the conflict. Rather, it would further complicate it and exacerbate tensions in a region that is in dire need of stability, reassurance, cooperation and development. Third, Algeria reiterates in this matter that it hosts Saharawi refugees on its territory and has done so for over half a century because their land is occupied, this occupation cannot be simply summed up in a refugee issue. Given the choice to return voluntarily or resettle or integrate with the local hosts, it is a matter that fundamentally requires the completion of the decolonization process in the Western Sahara through a comprehensive political process. Such a process can only be achieved by the people of the Western Sahara, exercising their inherent right to self-determination. This is undoubtedly the correct and proper approach to addressing the situation of the last colony on the African continent. The right of peoples to self-determination remains a fundamental principle of international law. The passage of half a century cannot transform an imposed reality into a legal fact, nor can the passage of a half a century transform an imposed reality and a right into a legal fact, or diminish a right whose holders need no one to explain it to them. The collective memory of peoples, such as is the historic experience of the United Nations, both confirm that genuine peace is not built by disregarding rights. Rather, it is built through settlements that respect these rights and respond to the aspirations of those who hold these rights.
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