UN's tracks fade into the sand
Interview with Kurt Mosgaard, MINURSO Force Commander 2005- 2007
Extract from Norwegian Refugee Council's (www.NRC.no) thematic re****t
"Occupied Country, displaced people", March 2008
The former military chief of the UN mission in Western Sahara believes the
UN must stand firmer on the claim for a referendum on independence. But
some
permanent members of the Security Council have not wanted to push too hard
for this, he says.
As long as Morocco opposes the referendum, the UN process finds itself up
a
blind alley. Even seven years of James Baker serving as the UN's Special
Envoy were not enough to obtain a solution which respected the rights of
Sahrawis. Despite previous agreements to hold a referendum which would
include the possibility of independence, Morocco now declines to accept
these. So it is back to square one. A 17-year-long UN-led process has
failed
to lead to any political breakthrough at all.
Kurt Mosgaard, the former UN Force Commander of its mission in Western
Sahara, MINURSO, believes the UN must react. He says the UN needs to be
clearer in its demands, and that it is high time for the referendum on
independence for Western Sahara to be held. He is thereby critical of
Morocco's rejection of a referendum. "The UN should state that the
referendum on Western Sahara must encompass the possibility of
independence.
Of course the referendum must include this alternative. You only need
a normal level of insight to understand this," says Mosgaard in an
interview
with the NRC.
Realpolitik
The Danish Major-General was Force Commander of MINURSO from 2005- 2007.
He
now holds a senior position in the Danish military, and has some clear
opinions on the failed UN process. He believes that
"commercial thinking and classic realpolitik" are the major reasons why a
solution on Western
Sahara has never been arrived at.
"Some of the permanent members of the Security Council have had links with
one of the parties concerned, which has meant they didn't want to apply
too
much pressure. I am a very strong sup****ter of the UN, but I also think it
has some weaknesses. The UN must have a position, and one shouldn't always
opt for the easiest solution," says Mosgaard.
The Dane himself has shown an ability to act. When he was Force Commander
for MINURSO,
he gave the order that the Moroccan flag over the UN building should be
lowered for good. The flag had caused great irritation to many Sahrawis
and
UN staff, but none of his predecessors up to that point had dared to take
it
down. This small but very symbolic act was to make him most unpopular in
Moroccan circles. "The matter is simple. The UN is clear that Western
Sahara
is a territory whose status is still
unclear. So it is unacceptable that a Moroccan flag should fly above the
UN
building. It goes directly against our mandate. I don't know how this can
have continued for 16 years without anyone having taken action", he says.
He
says that the flag issue is one of many instances of the UN saying one
thing
in New York, but often playing a different role in practice.
Time to get tough
After 17 years of dialogue between the parties, with a frustrated and
isolated population in the Algerian desert, and 45 million dollars in
annual
costs to the MINURSO mission, the Major General thinks that the UN has
spent
far too long trying to find a solution. The chief problem, he maintains,
lies in the choice having been made to adhere to Chapter VI of the UN
Charter on a peaceful solution acceptable to both parties.
"It is high time the UN got tough and spoke out more clearly. If the UN
does
not deviate from Chapter VI, another 30 years will go by of maintaining
the
status quo", says Mosgaard. If the Security Council goes a step further
and
makes use of Chapter VII, it mandates the use of force by UN member states
to create peace. This is the course taken when it is seen that a peaceful
solution to a conflict is not forthcoming, and the situation is a threat
to
international peace and security. When Iraq occupied Kuwait in 1990, and
the
UN went to the military defence of the country, the Security Council
invoked
Chapter VII, and since 1990 well over 100 resolutions have been adopted in
accordance with Chapter VII.
However, the Security Council has been unwilling to do the same when it
comes to Morocco's occupation of Western Sahara since 1975.
"United Nothing"
The main task of the MINURSO force was to oversee the ceasefire. This part
of the agreements between Polisario and Morocco has been a great success.
Mosgaard says that despite everything the two parties cooperate well with
the UN on this part of the agreement.
"At the same time, some will perhaps say that the ceasefire only postpones
the problem, as it was, after all, only meant to be an interim solution
while awaiting a permanent political solution."
On the other hand, MINURSO has no mandate to intervene or to re****t on
human
rights violations in Western Sahara. For several years Polisario has been
calling for MINURSO to have the right and the duty to protect the civilian
population against such violations. Norwegian Foreign Affairs Minister
Jonas
Gahr Støre hasalso called for MINURSO's mandate to be broadened, but the
subject has never been
opened for debate by the Security Council. So the mission stands back as a
"silent witness to grave abuses of human rights", according to Amnesty19.
Despite the ceasefire, the Sahrawis maintain that the UN presence has been
a
fiasco. For many of them, it was unacceptable to lay down their weapons at
all back in 1991 in favour of a referendum.
Now they see that Polisario's strategy may have been a failure and that
the
UN is not in a position to push ahead for a solution. The Sahrawis are
merciless in their criticism: "UN stands for United Nothing," they say in
the refugee camps in Algeria.
Mosgaard is nevertheless certain that another war will not provide a
solution, and that neither Polisario nor Morocco could emerge as victors.
"On the contrary, another war could lead to unrest throughout North West
Africa. It would cost many lives on both sides, and cause new waves of
refugees. Morocco would be severely affected economically, and there would
always be the risk that a war would involve the neighbouring countries.
Every day without war is a good day," says Mosgaard.
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Source: http://www.nrc.no/?did=9258996
See also:
- NRC: Re****t on Western Sahara: "Occupied Country, Displaced People" ,
Mar
28, 2008
- FMR: Generations in exile from Africa's last colony, Jan 24, 2007
_____________________________________________
Forwarded by:
Norwegian Sup****t Committee for Western Sahara
*** Referendum now! ***
www.vest-sahara.no
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sahara-update
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