The petition for the extension of the UN mandate in Western Sahara was discussed by the National Council today. It decided not to accept the petition. We note with regret that the National Council did not seize the opportunity to make a modest contribution to resolving the conflict.
The petition submitted in February of this year to extend the UN mandate in Western Sahara (MINURSO) was put to the vote in the National Council today. After a clear yes vote for the petition in the Foreign Affairs Committee (of the National Council) in March, the National Council rejected the petition in today’s session by 108:73 votes. We regret the National Council’s decision, but believe that the petition will help to ensure that the conflict in Western Sahara is not forgotten. The untenable situation in which the Sahrawi people have found themselves for around 40 years is on the agenda of numerous organizations in Switzerland, which will continue to campaign for a solution to the conflict.
Focus of public relations work
Despite this disappointment, terre des hommes schweiz will continue to focus its public relations work this year on the conflict in Western Sahara and the living conditions of the Sahrawi refugees in Algeria. Nevertheless, at the end of his vote, Federal Councillor Burkhalter stated that Switzerland would in future participate in the resolution of this conflict with more military observers.
MINURSO petition submitted
In February, 45 organizations and Swiss personalities signed a petition to extend the UN mandate in Western Sahara. The petition calls for Switzerland to lobby the UN Security Council to extend the mandate of the UN protection force MINURSO to include human rights monitoring. The Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council approved the petition at the end of March by 16 votes to 3.
