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Polisario Front reaffirms commitment to negotiating with Morocco

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New York, April 21, 2016 (SPS) -The Polisario Front reaffirmed Wednesday in New York its willing to engaging in  negotiations with Morocco on the status of Western Sahara and expressed its concern over repetitive blockings from Morocco to undermine the UN political process. 
In a statement released Wednesday in New York, the Sahrawi coordinator with the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (Minurso) M'hamed Khaddad stressed that the Polisario Front "is ready to engage in negotiations with Morocco as soon as possible and without preconditions, in accordance with the UN Secretary General's statement on 4 November 2015 and resolutions of the Security Council."
"The Polisario Front expressed deep concern" over Morocco's repetitive attempts to hinder the UN political process on Western Sahara," he said.
The political process on Western Sahara is at "a standstill", denounced Kheddad, adding that this blocking led to a deterioration of the human rights situation in the Sahrawi occupied territories as highlighted in the UN SG's last periodical report, and the plundering of Western Sahara's natural resources," he claimed. 
"The UN should intensify its effort to hold a self-determination referendum, and deals with serious violations of human rights and plundering of Western Sahara's natural resources," he added.
The Sahrawi coordinator with the Minurso called on the UN Security Council to fully assume its responsibilities, reaffirmed in its own resolutions.
As for the last report of the UN Secretary General sent last Monday to the Security Council, and in accordance with its recommendations, the Polisario Front called for the renewal of the Minurso mandate, affirming that Morocco's unilateral decision to expel the civilian component "is a serious a threat to the Sahrawi people and a challenge for the UN Security Council."
After the dismantling the OF MINURSO, Morocco have not fulfil its commitments. The UN peacekeeping mission for the referendum in Western Sahara has been created in accordance with the Security Council resolution 690 in 1991 and the resolution accepted on 30 August 1988 by Morocco and the Polisario Front, he pointed out. (SPS)
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