26 Dec 2020; MEMO: The Moroccan authorities have strongly condemned Human Rights Watch's use of the human rights file to deliver its political position on Western Sahara, reported RT.
The Moroccan authorities stated that the organisation resorted to: "Baseless malicious allegations in an attempt to hide its intentions behind a human rights discourse, while totally ignoring the universally accepted methodology regarding the disciplines of impartiality and objectivity that govern the work of international non-governmental organisations in the field of human rights."
The Moroccan Interministerial Delegation for Human Rights (DIDH) announced in a statement on Friday: "The Moroccan authorities learned of the communication issued by the organisation on 18 December, 2020, which adopts and promotes a political discourse hostile to the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Morocco and to the recently witnessed positive developments."
The DIDH indicated that the Moroccan authorities: "Completely reject the organisation's endorsement of the political stance taken by parties hostile to Morocco regarding the peaceful and legitimate intervention to reopen the road linking Morocco and Mauritania in the Guerguerat region, which came as a result of relentless efforts, including repeated calls on the United Nations secretary-general and adhering to the UN Security Council resolutions on freedom of movement of people and goods through this corridor."
The delegation expressed that what confirms the political nature of the organisation's statement: "Is its interference with bilateral relations between states and its sovereign decisions." The delegation highlighted that: "The United States' recognition of the Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara is part of its continuous support for the Moroccan initiative for autonomous rule in the region since its presentation in 2007 to the United Nations, as the UN Security Council has considered it since that date as a credible and serious proposal."
