Jiménez asks UN to oversee human rights in Western Sahara

Spain wants the United Nations to "expand its capacity for surveillance and human rights protection" in Western Sahara, said Foreign Minister Trinidad Jiménez after meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during the NATO summit in Lisbon at the weekend. Jiménez underscored that the UN Security Council resolutions make reference to "the human dimension" of the conflict in the former Spanish colony, which is on the UN list of non-self-governing territories.

Jiménez suggested that the MINURSO peacekeeping mission in the disputed territory might be granted powers to oversee respect for human rights in the ongoing conflict between Morocco and the pro-independence Polisario Front. The suggestion comes after Morocco forcibly dismantled a Sahrawi protest camp near the territory's capital, Laayoûne, on November 8. Rabat has consistently argued againstthe MINURSO mission being given such powers.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have insisted the UN mission be given the power to enable an impartial investigation into the camp breakup, in which a Sahrawi man with Spanish citizenship died. Spain has avoided condemning Morocco, stressing the importance of good bilateral relations.