Paris – The Sahrawi Prime Minister, Bachraya Hamoudi Beyoun, stated on Friday in Paris that France’s positions regarding the Western Sahara conflict are “completely contrary to its historical values.”
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the 49th conference of the European Coordination of Solidarity with the Sahrawi People (EUCOCO), Beyoun emphasized that holding the event in France was a deliberate choice, given the country’s historical association with “freedom, equality, and fraternity.”
“Unfortunately,” he added, “we observe that its positions regarding Western Sahara are in complete contradiction with these values.”
The Sahrawi Prime Minister asserted that these positions “support the occupation and encourage Morocco to violate international law,” as well as leading the European Commission to “disregard the rulings of the European Court of Justice.”
Beyoun further claimed that “Morocco would have been defeated militarily and politically were it not for France’s support over the past 50 years.”
The Sahrawi diplomat also addressed the agreement between the European Commission and Morocco regarding the labeling of agricultural products originating from Western Sahara, noting that this agreement was concluded with the “encouragement” of France and Spain, in complete contradiction with the European Court of Justice’s decision on the matter.
He also criticized the European Commission’s “poor interpretation” of the latest UN resolution extending the MINURSO mandate, which he said was also encouraged by the two European countries.
Beyoun argued that these positions “do not help in moving towards a solution to the conflict in Western Sahara and establishing peace in the region. On the contrary, they encourage Morocco to disregard international law.”
The Sahrawi Prime Minister stressed that a solution requires direct negotiations between the two parties based on “numerous other proposals” besides the Moroccan autonomy plan. He affirmed the Sahrawi side’s readiness to enter into direct and unconditional negotiations with Morocco, based on all proposals presented.
He emphasized that the results of the negotiations must be acceptable to both parties, guarantee the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination, and respect fundamental principles.
