B4-0424, 0429, 0450 and 0472/95

Resolution on Western Sahara

The European Parliament,

-having regard to the UN resolution on a referendum on self-determination in Western Sahara,

-having regard to the interim report by the United Nations Secretary-General of 14 December 1994 on the implementation of the peace plan in Western Sahara,

-recalling its earlier resolutions on the situation in Western Sahara,

A.having regard to its support for UNMIRWS, the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, created in September 1991 to monitor a cease-fire in the war between the Polisario Front and the Moroccan forces and to conduct a referendum on the future of the area;

B.having regard to the insufficient numbers of UNMIRWS personnel and concerned about its role as an independent mission and especially in preparing the referendum,

C.deeply concerned about the fact that the referendum, originally scheduled to take place in 1992, is now planned for November 1995 after having been postponed on several occasions,

D.concerned about the alleged irregularities in procedures relating to voter application, registration and identification,

1.Calls on the Moroccan authorities to comply with their undertakings and put an end to their stalling tactics which are designed to hold up the implementation of the peace plan;

2.Warns that failure to resolve the conflict could jeopardise the security of the entire region;

3.Appeals to the UN Secretary-General, as a matter of urgency, to step up his efforts to ensure that UNMIRWS takes effective measures to promote a free and fair referendum on Western Sahara;

4.Calls once again on the Polisario Front, and in particular the Kingdom of Morocco, to enter into direct negotiations with a view to the proper implementation of the peace plan until a fair and free referendum is held;

5.Calls upon the Conference of Presidents to consider the desirability of designating an appropriate delegation of members to carry out a fact-finding mission to Western Sahara in the immediate future for the purpose of investigating the preparation of a referendum and calls on the Moroccan Government to facilitate access to Western Sahara for this delegation;

6.Also calls on the Moroccan Government to drop its ban on access to Western Sahara for foreign observers, in particular parliamentary observers, legal experts and journalists;

7.Calls on the Union's authorities and the governments of the Member States to do everything in their power in the context of their political, economic and commercial relations with Morocco to ensure that the Moroccan Government complies with its undertakings and implements the UN peace plan in its entirety;

8.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States, the Moroccan Government, UNMIRWS, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Secretary-General of the OAU and the Polisario.