Washington, May 1, 2014 (SPS) - Members of Congress urged Thursday the US Government to exert efforts to enable the UN Mission for the referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) to carry its mandate to hold the referendum on the status of Western Sahara, in a letter to Secretary of State Mr. John Kerry.
The letter which was signed by Congress Members Joseph R. pitts, Betty McCollum, Joseph P. Kennedy III, Trent Franks, Reid J. Ribble, highlighted that this referendum has been supported by every US Democratic and Republican President for over 20 years and is long overdue.
The Members of Congress also urged the US Government to support Ambassador Christopher Ross in his efforts to hold the referendum in the ‘immediate future’ and seek to include language in MINURSO’s mandate that would increase its ability to monitor human rights in Western Sahara.
They emphasized that the right of Sahrawi people to self-determination is a fundemental human right, calling on the Obama Administration to ensure that this right is respected. (SPS)
