Geneva- Morocco's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN Office in Geneva, Omar Hilale, on Tuesday denounced Algeria for human rights breaches in Tindouf camps, south-western Algeria.
Hilale, who was speaking before the 12th session of the UN Human Rights Council, said that Algeria, which acts as a defender of self-determination, does not hesitate to violate the basic rights of people held captive in Tindouf camps for three decades, adding that Algeria must let these populations exercise self-determination over their wish to leave the camps.
The Sahara issue is Algeria's main concern, not to say obsession, the Moroccan official said, noting that the Algerian ambassador does not tackle any other case of human rights situation in the world.
Algeria, which depicts itself as "a neighboring country", offers a haven, trains and finances separatists who threaten peace and security in the region, and even have contacts with Al-Qaeda terrorists, he said.
Instead of using its resources to solve its socio-economic problems of housing, health and water supply, this country finances polisario's armament, Hilale pointed out.
Algeria is not a mere observer country as it pretends but is actively involved in the Sahara issue since its outbreak, the diplomat said, adding that an observer country does not conduct, on a daily basis, a hostile diplomatic campaign against Morocco, but rather respects the UNHRC efforts to settle this dispute.
As for reports of international NGOs on "the situation of human rights in the Moroccan Sahara", Hilale said these NGOs and documents are welcome by the Algerian party when they are cited as so-called evidence, but when they criticize the human rights situation in Algeria, they are ignored and these NGOs are banned from entry into this country.
© Agence Maghreb Arabe Presse 2009
