British Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office), David Rutley, reiterated Britain’s support for the United Nations-led political process and the efforts of the United Nations’ personal envoy. UN Secretary General for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, aiming to achieve a political solution to the Sahrawi question.
“The United Kingdom strongly supports the work of Staffan de Mistura and welcomed his visit in September 2023 to the region, particularly to Western Sahara,” said Mr. Rutley in response to a question in the British Parliament on the Saharawi file.
The conservative MP also indicated that his country would continue to encourage “the constructive engagement of the parties (to the conflict) in the political process”.
Responding, moreover, to another question on the position of the United Kingdom concerning human rights violations by Morocco in the Occupied Sahrawi Territories, David Rutley stressed that his country “has always been committed to the promotion and protection of human rights throughout the world, particularly in Western Sahara.
“We have always supported the relevant UN Security Council resolutions which encourage the parties to continue their efforts to strengthen the promotion and protection of human rights in Western Sahara, including freedoms of expression and association,” he said.
This statement comes a few days after the Moroccan occupying forces repressed and attacked Sahrawi human rights activists and defenders in occupied Laayoune, prohibiting their gathering, which prompted several Sahrawi organizations to request the intervention of the international community to establish a mechanism for monitoring the state of human rights in the occupied territories.
This article is originally published on al24news.com