Marrakech, 10 November, 2006- Liberal International tabled its report on its recent parliamentary fact-finding mission to the Western Sahara and Algeria, where it visited the Tindouf refugees camps, had meetings with Government officials in Casablanca and Rabat, and met with MINORSO and other human rights activists in Laayoune.
Deputy President of Liberal International, Hans Van Baalen MP, leader of the delegation, said:
‘We should concentrate on the immediate future of the Western Sahara and not lose ourselves in making blue prints for the long term. This means that we must concentrate on the initiatives for regional autonomy, as promoted by King Mohamed VI. In the immediate term this will hopefully improve the human rights situation the territory, which is of concern, and also improve economic development. We also hope that the involvement of the UN will improve the humanitarian and human rights situation in the Tindouf refugee camps in Algeria .’
Van Baalen stated that, ‘a long term solution should be based on a reconciliation of the principles of international legality and political reality’ and underlined the Delegation’s support for this approach in the reports of the UN Secretary General on the Western Sahara , as published on 19 April 2006 and 16 October 2006 .
Liberal International welcomed the initiatives on regional autonomy taken by Morocco , and called for a long term final settlement, based on a reconciliation of the principles international legality and a political reality.
