19 October 2007, Rome
The SACP would like to take this opportunity to express its appreciation for having been invited to part of this important gathering organised by the Italian association in solidarity with the struggle of the Saharawi people for national self determination. We also wish to express our appreciation of the solidarity activities undertaken by the Italian association in support of the Sahrawi struggle, as well as the range of similar activities being undertaken in other parts of Europe and globally.
We say this precisely because our own struggle against apartheid immensely benefited from similar solidarity activities through the anti-apartheid movement – one of the most significant global and progressive solidarity movements of the latter half of the 20th Century. Also, for us, our own liberation will always remain incomplete without the complete decolonisation of the African continent, whose last colony unfortunately remains Western Sahara. This is because decolonisation, national liberation and national self-determination is an indivisible struggle, albeit fought in different national contexts.
The solidarity between the Sahrawi and South African people goes back for decades, and we were fellow combatants in the broader struggle for the liberation of the African continent from colonialism and imperialism. After our 1994 democratic breakthrough and dislodging the apartheid regime from power our revolutionary tripartite alliance continued with its solidarity work in support of the just struggle by the Saharawi people for national self-determination.
In our own country we have recently strengthened and deepened our solidarity activities with the Saharawi people through, inter alia, the establishment of full diplomatic relations with the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), exchange of visits between our two countries and organisations, including holding of demonstrations in support of the Sahrawi people. In addition our government continues to use its membership in the United Nations Security Council to push for a speedy and peaceful mechanisms to achieve the goal of national self-determination for the Sahrawi people. We wish to pledge that as the SACP, together with our allies, the ANC and COSATU, we will continue to engage in various activities in solidarity with the just struggle of the Sahrawis.
We would like to take this opportunity to express our outrage and strongest condemnation at the continued violation of human rights and brutality directed at an unarmed Sahrawi people by Morocco in the territories of the Western Sahara that it continues to illegally occupy. Instead we call upon Morocco to respect the numerous UN resolutions on national self-determination for the Sahrawi people, and to seriously and earnestly engage in the negotiations underway in good faith. We are concerned that Morocco is not negotiating in good faith and instead wants to frustrate the process towards granting Sahrawi sovereignty and instead wants to turn Western Sahara into its Bantustan.
We also call upon the United States, Spain and France to put pressure on the Moroccan government to negotiate a genuine agreement towards the national self-determination in Western Sahara. We are deeply disturbed by the continued support by these countries of the delaying and diversionary tactics by the Moroccans. From our own experiences we wish to say to Morocco and its backers that a just struggle can never be defeated, no matter what delaying tactics are being used. Western Sahara shall be freed from Moroccan occupation and realise its goal of national self determination. As the SACP and the overwhelming majority of South Africans, we shall stand firm in support of the just struggles of the Saharawis!
As the SACP we also wish to state that our Alliance is willing to collaborate with other solidarity efforts in Europe and the rest of world, so that we truly create a broad-based solidarity movement with the Sahrawi people.
As the SACP, we see as some of the immediate tasks in deepening our solidarity with Western Sahara as that of intensifying pressure on the Moroccans for international and transparent access to the occupied territories. In addition we need to mobilise all peace-loving and democratic forces globally to put pressure on Morocco to honour all UN agreements and negotiate in good faith.
We continue to pledge our unwavering support and solidarity with the just struggle of the Saharawis, by strengthening and deepening relations between the SACP, its allies and Polisario. We also wish to express our full support of the resolution adopted yesterday by the Italian Parliamentary Association in solidarity with Western Sahara. We also pledge to work towards holding an African solidarity meeting with Western Sahara in South Africa during the course of next year.
We thank you
Blade Nzimande
General Secretary
SACP