Christopher Ross demands self-determination

Beguiling Morocco with his grandfatherly appearance

Delightful news out of Western Sahara, where things have been relatively lately. The new UN envoy on Western Sahara, US diplomat Christopher Ross, isn't taking up last envoy Peter Van Walsum's weak stance on self-determination.

After visiting Morocco, he went to the Polisario-controlled part of Western Sahara to read a speech to Mohammed Abdelaziz and some soldiers. He won't accept any solution that doesn't have self-determination:

Negotiations must tend to "a solution that includes the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination," Ross said in speech he read in Arabic to the Saharawi president-in-exile and an assembly of ministers and chiefs from the nomadic tribes that make up Western Sahara.

Sweet! If he keeps up he'll earn the envoy theme song.

Alternately, this could mean nothing. Some people think self-determination includes autonomy, and he hasn't mentioned a referendum. But at least he isn't endorsing autonomy like Van Walsum.

UPDATE: Reading a comment from blogger Van Kaas makes me think it's a good sign that Ross went to a Polisario-controlled part of Western Sahara instead of the refugee camps in Tindouf.

Polisario Confidential's top sources: news agencies and hallucinogens

Whatever Morocco is paying the spies who run Polisario Confidential, it's too much. The site's first big scoop was Polisario's hiring of Independent Diplomat, something most people following the Front knew about months before. Polisario Confidential's new big story comes courtesy of unnamed sources, so you know it's heavy stuff: Christopher WS Ross is the new Western Sahara mediator:

According to Polisario-Confidential sources and less than three weeks after the departure of UN secretary-General’s Personal Envoy to the Western Sahara, Mr. Peter Van Walsum, it seems that Christopher Ross will be his successor as mediator in the Sahara issue.

Emphasis mine. Polisario Confidential must be sharing sources with Agence France-Presse, but no matter--they know the next president of Afghanistan.

The very skilful ambassador of the United States to the UN, Zalmay Khalilzad probable candidate to the presidency… of Afghanistan, has led the negotiations between Morocco and Algeria and tried to identify a new envoy on what the parties could agree on.

Morocco could enjoy these Keystone Cops shenanigans, but there's a boom in underage marriages to avert.

By the way, I was AWOL during Van Walsum's resignation and Ross's appointment, but Alle covered it.

UN's love for realism: the dogs bark, but the caravan continues

Peter van Walsum got what he wanted and the UN's 1 -year renewal of MINURSO insists that the parties be realistic about the prospects for a Sahrawi state. Here's resolution's wording on realism:

2. Endorses the report’s recommendation that realism and a spirit of
compromise by the parties are essential to maintain the momentum of the process of
negotiations;

This saddens me, but not because I think it means the end of Sahrawi nationalist aspirations or even because I think it's that big of a deal (after all, van Walsum's realism just means Morocco won't move unless major powers make it, something that was clear already).

I know that if a majority of Sahrawis want an independent state, it'll happen. The only unknowns are how long until it happens, and how much pain Moroccans, Sahrawis, Algerians, and whoever else gets involved in the conflict will suffer before it happens. I think essentially taking away the diplomatic option from Sahrawis, as more UN policies in this vein will inevitably do, will just increase both the length of time and suffering before a Sahrawi state.

Even if you don't think one word is going to do much about a 32-year conflict, it's hard not to be disgusted how the Western powers (including my own country) can exert so much effort to get one word in the document, but actively block the addition of a human rights component to MINURSO. At least SADR still has some friends on the Security Council like Costa Rica and South Africa. If it could get a few more, the UNSC could stop talking about what's realistic and start talking about what's right.

Photo from Flickr user Saharauiak

MINURSO allegedly defacing Western Saharan archaelogical sites

Between not organizing a referendum and not monitoring Moroccan human rights abuses, personnel in the United Nation's Western Sahara contingent MINURSO have to find something to keep them occupied. According to Nick Brooks, that means defacing valuable archaelogical sites in Western Sahara.

Brooks, a climate change researcher and the director of the Western Sahara Project, was visiting archaeological sites in the liberated portion of Western Sahara when he saw graffiti MINURSO personnel spraypainted over cave drawings. The cave drawings are faint, so I used my Perez Hilton MS Paint skills and circled one in red below. Brooks has contacted MINURSO, UNESCO, and the UN Misconduct office, so this is a story to follow.
I take a more positive view of MINURSO than a lot of people I've talked to, but that can probably be blamed on international politics fan boyishness. This vandalism and the recent Polisario Congress makes me wonder if MINURSO is helping or hurting the independence movement. MINURSO isn't restraining or even reporting on Moroccan human rights abuses, and I think its presence only prolongs the stalemate. On the other hand, it organizes visits for families divided by the war.

For more pictures of graffiti on archaelogical sites, visit the Flickr album.

Bomb attacks in Algeria

Bombings killed 67 people in Algiers Tuesday, including 11 United Nations Development Program employees. As you might expect, I'm sad for the people killed and hope Algeria gets the people responsible.

If something this senseless can still teach a lesson for Western Sahara, it's that turning to attacks on civilians will only injure the cause of Sahrawi independence. There's been the usual rumblings lately from Polisario that it is considering a return to war, and that's their right (even though I think it will be ineffective at best).

But whoever wins the Congress this week (I hear it's a real horse race) and the Sahrawis under the occupation should eschew attacks on civilians. I don't know what the people who made the bombs in Algiers want, but I know they killed innocent people and that makes me predisposed against them. The same thing will happen to the Sahrawi agenda if a bomb goes off in El Aiaun.

Via Western Sahara Info

The plot thickens: Philippe Elghouayel was in MINURSO

I keep wanting to write about other Western Sahara topics, but how can I resist when the Together Foundation and its president, Philippe Elghouayel, are so wacky? To recount, Philippe left the UN Development Program for Russia under a cloud of suspicion.

Now, Alle of Western Sahara Info points out that on this Russian list of UN personnel (run it through Babelfish to check his work) Philippe is listed as MINURSO's Chief of Legation. My bureaucratese isn't what it used to be, but doesn't that mean that he was the head of MINURSO?

Was he wooed like other diplomats previously involved in Western Sahara (Robert Holley, Frederick Vreeland, Ed Gabriel) into signing on with Morocco? If so, it seems like someone wooed him pretty fast: Philippe was only briefly in MINURSO.

I have Skype now

I just installed Skype, an internet voice-chat program, so I can talk with people through the internet like it were a giant phone. My name's not decided, but send me an email and we'll talk.

In an upcoming post, pictures and a recap from the Fourth Committee meeting. As a teaser, I'll list some of the people who spoke about Western Sahara:

-Janet Lenz of Be Their Voice
-Suzanne Scholte from US-Western Sahara Foundation
-Agaila Hemeida from Free Western Sahara

Plus, Chasli was there! With that list of luminaries, you'd be a fool to miss my next post.

I'm in a New York state of (decolonizing) mind

I'm in New York today and tomorrow for the UN's Fourth Committee. They're talking about decolonization issues including Western Sahara, so it'll be fun. If you're going to be there, send me an email (sommerwf - at- gmail) and we'll hang out.

Pictures and recap soon.

US supports autonomy, Woodrow Wilson "surprised"

In a blatant dismissal of international law and United Nations precedent, the United States came out last Wednesday in favor of Morocco's autonomy proposal. Most people expected the United States preferred Morocco over SADR in negotiations, but it's surprising the US would be so bold about it.

The official stance was delivered by Jackie Sanders, the US's alternate representative to the UN, pictured here with Western Sahara fan John Bolton. Why didn't John talk some sense into her? Anyway, here's what she said:

"We believe a promising and realistic way forward on the Western Sahara is meaningful autonomy. Morocco’s initiative could provide a realistic framework to begin negotiations on a plan that would provide for real autonomy contingent on the approval of the local populations. We hope both sides will engage realistically."

Check out this inspired bit of obfuscation from Ambassador Sanders, when a reporter questioned her during the same stakeout:

Reporter: But the U.S. voted yes on resolution 1754, which acknowledges both proposals, so I am wondering why there is a back step right now based on this statement that you just said?

Ambassador Sanders: I would not call it a “back step,” I would call it forward movement. We want to see forward movement with the parties and I think we are seeing that.

Maybe I'm not versed enough in diplomacy to understand, but I think supporting self-determination aces an imposed political solution any day. This strikes me as another maneuver to force Polisario into negotiating terms of autonomy, and not whether to accept autonomy at all. To help that more, Sanders refused to treat Polisario's plan equally.

For those who think the United States will have a lot to say about any non-violent resolution to the conflict, there is a bit of good news. People with connections to politics tell me Democrats are more disposed to supporting the Sahrawi side of things, and the mood in the U.S. is leaning towards a Dem victory in 2008. Universal health care and a referendum? 2009 will see an embarrassment of riches.

Alle at Western Sahara Info has more on Sanders's statement, and Canada's annexation of the U.S.

Did Ban Ki-Moon say SADR should accept autonomy?

That's the question a lot of people are asking after this article from EUX.tv, "the Europe channel." Read some quotes from the article and you should be able to understand why it's so worrisome.

Morocco and the Polisario Front, both of which claim Western Sahara, should settle their dispute by accepting autonomy of the territory that was once a Spanish colony, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday...
He also urged the Polisario to accept autonomy and drop the call for independence for the territory.

"If the negotiations are to lead to a positive outcome, both parties must recognize that the question of sovereignty is, and always has been, the main stumbling block in this dispute, and it is in this highly sensitive area that a solution will need to be found," he said in a report to the council.

Western Sahara Info wasn't pleased, and deservedly so. I have to wonder, though--did this actually happen? The article said Ki-Moon's opinion was presented in a report to the Security Council Thursday. But if that's true, why aren't MAP, MarocPost, and Morocco Board running it? In fact, it's not mentioned on any website besides EUX.

If Ban Ki-Moon has changed the secretary general's traditionally supportive position, it'll be a serious setback but not a fatal one. SADR will be able to find new allies, and news from the territory suggests the people are still with it. Fortunately, the lack of attention this story is getting suggests it won't come to that.

Next round of Polisario - Morocco negotiations scheduled for August

It looks like Sahrawi and Moroccan diplomats will be able to see the musicals they missed this week after all. The next batch of negotiations over Western Sahara's fate have been scheduled for the second week of August.

According to the article and a speech from the head of the Polisario delegation, not much happened. As always, at least they're talking, but when tens of thousands of Sahrawis are baking in Tindouf and hundreds more are get whaled on by Moroccan security forces, it's cold comfort.

I was particularly intrigued by the "secluded private estate in Manhasset" talk in the Reuters article. Just what is this private estate, and were its owners tired of tea ceremonies by Tuesday afternoon?

Judging from the Secretary General's personal envoy's communique, the negotiations were held at Greentree, home of 1920's rich man Payne Whitney. Whitney was a member of Skull and Bones and married to the daughter of a former Secretary of State, so the Illuminati have their gold-stained fingerprints all over these negotiations.

Wikipedia says Greentree is home to a tennis court where people can play "real tennis," which is like tennis with pantaloons. Unfortunately, the court is defunct. Was Khalihenna ould Rachid mad about not being able to play real tennis? I think so, because he seems to have forgotten about a certain International Court of Justice ruling:

"Morocco has given up total integration (of Sahara) and we expect the other party to give up full independence," another official, Khalihenna Ould Errachid, head of Morocco's Royal Consultative Council for Saharan Affairs, told reporters.

It's hard for Polisario to give up independence when it has no reason to, Kelly.

Via Sahara-Views, who's glad that we're not back to livefire exercises.

Western Sahara negotiations on June 18, 19 in New York

Morocco and Polisario, along with Algeria and Mauritania, will be meeting in or close to New York on June 18th to discuss a settlement, according to Ban Ki-Moon's spokesperson.

I'm impressed the UN was able to get the sides together so fast, especially since autonomy isn't the only thing they'll be discussing, much to Morocco's disappointment.

Still, I don't think anyone is expecting a settlement to come out of this. Morocco's invested too much time and money into autonomy to give it up for a referendum, and it hasn't taken any hits to its prestige that would force compromise. The continued repression in Western Sahara is getting noticed, but it's nothing that would make Ban Ki-Moon twist Morocco's arm.

The more interesting thing is how the Mauritanian delegation is going to keep itself busy in New York. Do they treat these negotiations like a free vacation? I suppose Mauritania would have something to say if Western Sahara was going to be independent, but that's not going to come out of these discussions. If the Mauritanians get bored, might I recommend Ray's Pizza?

Ain't no party like a UN party because a UN party don't stop: UN renews MINURSO, calls for direct negotiations

The UN renewed MINURSO for another six months. The world breathed a sigh of "Eh." It also called for direct negotiations between Polisario and Morocco, which are actually going to happen.

Here's the resolution, courtesy of Sahara-Watch. Morocco didn't really get what it wanted, Polisario didn't really get what it wanted, France and the US didn't get what they wanted, but no one got screwed.

Personally, I'm pleased. It would have been nice if the UNSC would've stepped away from diplomacy-ese for a moment and hammered Morocco's autonomy proposal, but that's as likely as Driss Basri calling for a fair referendum. Plus, I'm kind of fond of MINURSO's general buffoonery.

Now, because it's finals week and I don't get credit for Western Sahara blogging (it's only a pass-fail course) , here's a round-up of what other people said about Western Sahara's big week at the UN:

• Sahara-Watch, as mentioned above, was bored with the resolution.
• Western Sahara Info wrote a nice breakdown of who is on whose side in the UNSC.
• Sahara Views knows that if Algeria ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.
• Finally, Deadline Pundit (aka Ian Williams), who frequently writes nice things about Western Sahara, writes that the UNSC's television cameras were knocked out when a Polisario representative was speaking. He goes on to say the Western Sahara dispute presents a challenge for international law and the UN, and that Arab states would do well not to set a precedent for annexation if they care about the Palestinians.
  

All of this still leaves a question unanswered: did MINURSO ever get a secretary?

Erik Jensen and Frank Ruddy: a love that dare not speak its name

The Western Sahara dispute is propelled by famous personal rivalries: King Hassan and Houari Boumedienne, for example, or James Baker and whoever gets in his way.

My favorite Western Sahara rivalry, though, is the one between Erik Jensen and Frank Ruddy. Erik Jensen led MINURSO from 1994 until 1998, when it was trying to implement the Settlement Plan's referendum registration. Ruddy worked under him.

Judging from Ruddy's comments, the two don't like one another at all. Here's Erik Jensen's testimony at the star-studded House subcommittee on the Western Sahara, from 2005:

The Moroccans demanded that the UN flag be taken down from the voting area, and to my left is Erik Jensen, who actually carried that out.

Moroccan journalists were asked to be allowed into the voting areas so that they could produce films for television. They were in fact from Moroccan security and they were used simply to take the pictures of all the Sahrawis who were there. Not 1 second ever appeared on television.

More tasty morsels from their beef as I find them.

Speaking of Erik Jensen, I finally finished his book Western Sahara: Anatomy of a Stalemate. I liked it, though not nearly as much as I liked Endgame in Western Sahara. I'll give Erik Jensen credit for one thing: it's impressive that he didn't go insane trying to match intractable Sahrawi and Moroccan negotiating positions.

MINURSO probably renewed, autonomy set for Tuesday

April's going to be a big month for the Western Sahara, between Morocco's autonomy presentation and the MINURSO renewal (six months already?).

I mentioned earlier that the autonomy presentation might happen today. Now, ReliefWeb reports that the President of the Security Council "said such a proposal was expected on 10 April."

Don't they have agendas at the Security Council? The president also said he didn't expect a solution to Western Sahara in the next few months. Still, he thinks MINURSO will be renewed.

Does anyone know about the proposed extension of MINURSO duties to include human rights monitoring in the occupied territories?

Morocco might present autonomy plan Tuesday

According to Yahoo News, Morocco's planning on showing the Security Council the autonomy plan on Tuesday. If they do, how long will it take before a copy is available to the public?

Update: I took a tour of the United Nations today. In the Security Council chamber the tour guide said the UNSC broadcasts its proceedings live. In that case, we should be able to watch both the autonomy plan and the MINURSO renewal (coming in late April). Can you say liveblogging?

5 Things I've Learned from Western Sahara: Anatomy of a Stalemate

1. Secretary-General Perez "The guy before Bhoutros" de Cuellar was a meddler, and worse, he was an ineffective one. He was largely responsible for the 1991 Settlement Plan, but seems to have confused Algeria, Morocco, and Polisario about what was required. Erik Jensen thinks de Cuellar was hoping post-Gulf War goodwill would carry the plan through. As we know now, no dice.

2. "Superliar" Khalihenna Ould Rachid is a bad guy. Currently the head of CORCAS, he used to run PUNS, the pro-Spanish Sahrawi party the colonial government set up in preparation for decolonization. When Rachid realized PUNS would lose to Polisario, he "left for Morocco and declared allegiance to the king." I don't think someone who bent his knee before the Green March can claim to represent the Sahrawi people, many of whom chose flight to Algeria and 30 years of struggle to Moroccan sovereignty.

3. King Hassan II knew what was up. In a 1989 meeting with Polisario's number two, Bachir Mustapha Sayed, Hassan said, "Despite all the investments I have made in the territory, I haven't succeeded in winning your hearts."

4. Henry Kissinger is always up to something. When he wasn't misinterpreting the International Court of Justice ruling to Gerald Ford, Henry Kissinger wholeheartedly supported the Madrid Accords. On the topic, he said, the U.S. would "not allow another Angola on the east flank of the Atlantic ocean." Tremendous moves, Henry.

5. Erik Jensen isn't as exciting a writer as Toby Shelley.

Erik Jensen's Western Sahara: Anatomy of a Stalemate is my Easter break reading. It focuses on post-1991 referendum issues. By Monday I should be fat on registration knowledge, and capable of debating the merits of the 1974 Spanish census. I can't wait.

MINURSO's looking for a young lady who's OK with typing 90+ WPM, sand in everything she owns

Employees in MINURSO, the United Nations peacekeeping contingent in the Western Sahara and Algeria, are a lovable, ineffective bunch. Last week, everyone went to the lot behind the cafeteria to watch the Pakistani and Bangladeshi observers settle post-partition rivalries with a game of cricket. The Guineans keep to themselves mostly, but they win every spooky story contest.

It's a nice time, but something's missing. Beer cans are piling up, and the bunk beds haven't been made in weeks. Worse, Force Commander Kurt Mosgaard was late to meet with Mohammed Abdelaziz because he couldn't find anyone to tie his tie.

The UN High Command knew barracks need a woman's touch, so they put in a call for a personnel clerk ("Women candidates are encouraged to apply"). Kurt, you rascal!

I hate to see MINURSO going understaffed, so as a public service I will expound on the virtues of MINURSO service.

• Desert climate helps tuberculosis.
• The landmines are getting better.
  
• The Mongolians are doing a killer My Fair Lady this fall.

Sounds like a good deal. I've never wanted so badly to be proficient in Excel. The obvious drawback, though, is no job security.

MINURSO extended for six more months

Anticlimax at the UN today. The UN Security Council has extended MINURSO's mandate for another six months, which is all right, even if it doesn't bring the conflict anywhere close to resolution. At least they reaffirmed their support for "the self-determination of the people of the Western Sahara."

There is another, more disappointing part of today's UNSC discussion. 14 of the council's members wanted to express concern about Moroccan human rights abuses in Western Sahara, but France blocked it. Once again France demonstrates its willingness to protect the Moroccan government from the international criticism it richly deserves.

MINURSO update

A tipster who may wish to remain anonymous hooked me up with this article, about MINURSO. Tomorrow the United Nations is considering whether or not to renew MINURSO's charter.

It seems like MINURSO might not get renewed. What would that mean? In the article, Western Sahar's ambassador in the United States, Mouloud Said, offers one prediction about what will happen when no one stands between the Polisario and Morocco.

"Polisario's Washington representative, Mouloud Said, says Polisario might be tempted to resume fighting to force the hand of Moroccan King Mohammed VI. After "six or seven months of war, he'll be more realistic," he said in an interview. "And I think that's what he needs.""

I'm not sure if MINURSO should be renewed or not. If a more empowered mission replaces it and finally enforced the 1991 referendum agreement, the Western Sahara will be better politically and might finally be independent. But if nothing replaces MINURSO, I think that represents a further degradation in the international community's commitment to the Sahrawis. In Morocco, they'd paint it as proof that the UN accepted Morocco's occupation.

Most of this blog has been a rehash of the past 30 years. It's exciting to finally be able to report new developments in the Western Sahara. I'll be checking ARSO, but if you know the UN's decision, comment.