Algeria: Western Sahara in a state of war

SANAA, Oct. 23 (YPA) – Algeria’s envoy in charge of Western Sahara and Maghreb affairs, Ammar Ballani, said that the Western Sahara region is facing a “state of war and the dangers of escalation are serious,” calling on the Security Council to deal responsibly.

And with what he described as the “sudden violation of the ceasefire” by Moroccan forces, and the “illegal annexation of the buffer zone in Guergarat”, the region is facing a “state of war and we must admit that the risks of escalation are serious,” the Algerian news agency quoted Ballani as saying.

He added that the Security Council must deal more than ever with the desert issue “with clarity and responsibility, because it is a matter of peace and stability in the sub-region.”

The Algerian diplomat questioned “the feasibility and usefulness of relaunching a disembodied political process that is not in line with the new realities on the ground,” and said that given objective reasons related to a significantly deteriorating situation, the Security Council is expected to adopt a balanced, transparent and impartial approach that takes care of the new facts on the ground. Reality and the legitimate expectations of the Sahrawi people, according to the settlement plan.

Ballani described the wording of the new resolution, whose first draft is considered “unbalanced”, and that the resolution will dedicate “a programmed blockage of the political process and the prior failure of the efforts of the new Personal Envoy before he begins his duties starting on November 1.”

He concluded by renewing the rejection of the “round table” formula, saying that the Algerian government assigned its permanent representative in New York to report this position to the President of the Security Council, and we asked him to circulate this note verbale to all members of the council.

E.M