Saharawi President and UN Secretary General to Confer in New York: A Crucial Step Towards Western Sahara Peace
BY: Hana Saada
ALGIERS – The Sahrawi President and Secretary General of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, is scheduled to engage in high-stakes discussions with the United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, on Monday at the UN headquarters in New York. This pivotal meeting, part of an ongoing dialogue between the Sahrawi party and the UN, promises to address critical issues of common interest, including the status of the United Nations-sponsored peace process in Western Sahara and expediting the decolonization of the region, an issue on the UN agenda since 1963.
The Sahrawi press agency (SPS) reported that the talks are poised to encompass various facets of the Western Sahara conundrum, with a primary focus on reinvigorating the peace process and adhering to the principles of international law and pertinent UN resolutions.
Sidi Mohamed Omar, the representative of the Polisario Front to the UN and coordinator of the United Nations Mission for the Organization of a Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), underscored the significance of this dialogue. He noted that these discussions are particularly timely as they occur just days before the commencement of the 78th ordinary session of the United Nations General Assembly (GA). During this session, the Sahrawi question will, as per tradition, be a central theme during the general debate and the deliberations of the Fourth Decolonization Commission.
Mr. Omar also highlighted the chronological importance of these talks, taking place after the recent visit of Staffan de Mistura, the Personal Envoy of the United Nations Secretary General for Western Sahara, to the occupied Sahrawi territories. These discussions are a prelude to the Security Council’s upcoming meeting scheduled for October, where the renewal of MINURSO’s mandate will be deliberated. The outcome of these discussions will be critical in shaping the Security Council’s response, informed by the Secretary General’s report on the situation in Western Sahara.
In his most recent report on occupied Western Sahara, presented during the 78th session of the General Assembly on July 27, 2023, Antonio Guterres reinforced the Security Council’s perspective, stating that the Sahrawi question is undeniably a “question of peace and security.” His consistent appeals for a “just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution” that guarantees the self-determination of the Western Sahara people have been echoed in various statements.
As the world awaits the outcome of this pivotal meeting between President Brahim Ghali and Secretary General Antonio Guterres, there is a palpable sense of hope for progress towards a peaceful resolution to the longstanding Western Sahara conflict. The international community will closely follow the deliberations in New York, aware of the profound impact these talks may have on the future of the region.
