Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 2 Mar 1994

Vol. 439 No. 6

Written Answers. - Western Sahara Referendum.

Gay Mitchell

Ceist:

29 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs when the referendum will be held in Western Sahara in view of the fact that this should have happened two years ago, and Ireland supported all efforts to have this referendum on self-determination.

Jim O'Keeffe

Ceist:

74 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Ireland's attitude to the non-implementation of the UN plan for the holding of a free and fair referendum in the Western Sahara; if his attention has been drawn to complaints that Morocco has obstructed and sabotaged the settlement plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Nora Owen

Ceist:

91 Mrs. Owen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the information he has on the holding of a referendum for self-determination by the Sahawi people of Western Sahara.

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Spring)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 29, 74 and 91 together.

UN involvement in the holding of a referendum in Western Sahara began in 1991 when the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 690 which established MINURSO (UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara), which is responsible for organising the referendum in which the people are to choose between integration with Morocco and independence. Six Irish Army officers are at present serving with MINURSO.

Progress towards the referendum has proved difficult. On 2 March 1993 the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 809 which requested the UN Secretary-General to report on the prospects and modalities for the holding of a free and fair referendum by the end of 1993 at the latest. The Secretary-General visited the region on 31 May-4 June 1993 and reported to the Security Council in November. The key difficulty continues to be the criteria for voter eligibility. The Secretary-General reported that the Frente POLISARIO maintain substantial reservations on the United Nations' proposed compromise on this issue while the Moroccan side has rejected any attempt at modifying the compromise text in its present form. In view of this the Secretary-General concluded that it would not be possible to arrange the referendum before the end of 1993 but expressed the hope that the negotiations could be satisfactorily concluded in the first half of 1994. He warned, however, that any estimated date set at this stage would still bear little meaning unless both parties were to demonstrate a spirit of co-operation and forbearance, without which the implementation of the settlement plan would continue to be evasive.

UN efforts to resolve the situation are continuing. The Secretary-General's special representative, Mr. Yaqub Khan, is in the region at present, where he is working to bring the two sides closer together.

Ireland agrees with the conclusions of the Secretary-General and fully supports his efforts to secure agreement between the parties involved, and to bring about a free and fair referendum at the earliest possible date.