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Norway FM calls for MINURSO to be able to monitor and report on human rights

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Oslo, April 22, 2018 (SPS) - Norwegian Foreign Minister Marie Eriksen stressed on Thursday that all the United Nations missions should monitor and report on human rights, including its mission in Western Sahara (MINURSO).
"Our main view is that all United Nations missions should have the mandate to monitor and report on human rights, which is the same for the MINURSO mission in Western Sahara," the Norwegian Foreign Minister said in response to questions before the parliament, therefore - she added- "we continue to support the extension of MINURSO's mandate to include monitoring and reporting on human rights through the contribution of all members of the Security Council, particularly France, which has not yet changed its position on the prevention of the extension of its mandate."
"We have raised the question of extending MINURSO's mandate with the French authorities since November last year in order to entrust its mandate in Western Sahara to include monitoring and reporting on human rights," said the Norwegian Foreign Minister. "We follow the human rights situation in Western Sahara through our own channels whether through our embassy in Rabat or by sending special envoys from the Foreign Ministry to the region, the last of which was in last February, where a representative from the Foreign Ministry was sent."
The Norwegian Foreign Minister affirmed, in the same context, that her country is working after each trip to the region to contact the Moroccan authorities to address all issues of human rights violations, and urged to pressure the Moroccan authorities to implement the UN Security Council resolutions on Western Sahara. (SPS)
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