Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-04-09-Speech-3-301"
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"en.20030409.6.3-301"2
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".
Mr President, the Council is carefully and constantly monitoring the issue of the Western Sahara. The European Union wants a peaceful solution to the conflict as quickly as possible. The Union therefore also fully supports the efforts of the United Nations and, more particularly, of the personal envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr James Baker, to find a viable solution which is governed by a spirit of full compliance with the international legal order.
Mr Baker submitted a proposal on 16 January 2003 for a political solution to the conflict which guarantees self-determination in accordance with Security Council Resolution No 1429 of 30 July 2002. He presented this proposal to the parties involved and the neighbouring countries during his visit to the region between 14 and 17 January 2003, following which the term of office of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara was extended twice, once until 31 March and the second time until 31 May, in order to give the parties involved time to examine the proposal and formulate their replies. The presidency of the Council of the European Union, in its contacts with the parties' delegates, including recently during the meeting of the Association Council with Morocco last February, urged them to examine Mr Baker's proposal with a favourable predisposition.
As noted in the report by the Secretary-General of the United Nations of 16 January, the United Nations and the Security Council have been making active efforts over the last 20 years to help the parties involved find a solution to this conflict. All possible solutions have been set out to the parties involved. It is now solely up to them to show the necessary political wisdom and to take advantage of this new chance to give the population of the Western Sahara a better future.
The recent statements about stepping up contacts between Morocco and Algeria and the declared will of both sides to discuss all the issues, including the issue of the Western Sahara, gives cause for hope. Given that discussions about the final settlement of the question of the Sahara are being held within the framework of the United Nations and are now at a crucial stage, the Council sees no point in taking a stand on the question of the exploitation of the natural resources of the Western Sahara.
Regardless of the political solution to the conflict, the question of human rights is a factor of fundamental importance to the Union and a source of permanent concern to it. In an effort to divorce the humanitarian dimension of the conflict from its political dimension, insofar as that is possible, the European Union has always urged the parties involved to take measures of a humanitarian nature in order to facilitate the restoration of confidence between the people and populations affected. The Union has made repeated demarches to the parties involved for this purpose. These efforts again brought about results with the release of 100 Moroccan prisoners of war on 26 February by the Polisario Front. The European Union expressed its satisfaction following this event. However, given that approximately 1 160 prisoners of war are still being held, the Union stressed that this gesture was not enough but was a step which could also promote dialogue and trust between all sides.
The humanitarian issues linked with the conflict in the Western Sahara, including the issue of the missing persons, is also raised systematically within the framework of the political dialogue being held by the European Union within the framework of the association agreements which it has concluded with its partners in the southern Mediterranean. During the last meeting of the Association Council with Morocco in Brussels on 24 February, the Council stressed, among other things, the need for respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in the Western Sahara. It also called for continuing cooperation with the International Red Cross Committee in order to get to the bottom of the issue of the missing Saharawis. The Council has also repeatedly turned its attention to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1359, which urgently calls on the parties involved to clear up the issue of the missing persons and to comply with the orders of international humanitarian law.
The Council has no information on the question of the 'black prison' of El Aaiun, nor does it have enough information to reach a conclusion about the real circumstances surrounding the arrest and conviction of Saharawi prisoners. The European Union, through the humanitarian aid agency of the European Community, is the most important donor of humanitarian aid to the Saharawi people. The honourable Members may refer to the Commission for more information about the exact amount of aid provided by the Union."@en1
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