Recent statements by the Foreign Minister have raised doubts among socialists regarding the current government stance on holding a self-determination referendum, with a clear endorsement of its execution and commitment to fully implementing UN resolutions not being reiterated, according to a statement by PS representatives.
In a question addressed to the head of Portuguese diplomacy, the PS stated that Portugal has historically supported the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination, as per International Law and United Nations resolutions.
The PS further recalled that the UN Security Council established the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) specifically mandated to organize and oversee this popular consultation.
Socialist deputies argue that in this context, a commitment to a fair, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution can only be achieved through a popular consultation.
Last week, following a meeting in Lisbon with Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, Paulo Rangel considered the Moroccan proposal to grant greater autonomy to Western Sahara under the sovereignty of the King of Morocco as the “most serious, credible, and constructive” basis for resolving the conflict, which began in the 1970s.
According to Paulo Rangel, Lisbon’s position conveyed to his Moroccan counterpart, must always occur under the auspices of the United Nations regardless of the solution adopted.
The official emphasized that Portugal insisted that this is a process with its roots in the United Nations, where a solution will be found.
“Portugal considers that the autonomy solution is the most serious, credible, and constructive base for a resolution but always maintaining, as I say, under the auspices of the United Nations, any solution that is adopted,” Rangel underscored at the time.
“We are pleased to note that the Kingdom of Morocco agrees with the notion that the United Nations must lead this process. That, for us, is an essential point, and obviously, with the fact that Portugal understands this Moroccan proposal as credible, constructive, serious, and one that can lead to an outcome that respects all parties and areas,” he added.
Asked by Lusa if, with this position, Portugal abandons the referendum solution, Rangel responded that it is not for Lisbon to express that.
“What is up to us is to say that this proposal is constructive, serious, credible, and deserves to be considered. And so, this is what we say,” he argued.
In the request published today, the PS asks Rangel if the government confirms that Portugal maintains its support for the full implementation of United Nations resolutions on Western Sahara, particularly Resolution 690 (1991), which establishes the self-determination referendum as a pillar of the conflict resolution process.
Furthermore, the socialists ask whether the executive led by Luís Montenegro (PSD/CDS-PP) maintains Portugal’s historical position supporting the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination, namely through a free, fair, and UN-supervised referendum.
The status of Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony in North Africa annexed by Morocco in 1975 and considered a “non-self-governing territory” by the United Nations in the absence of a definitive agreement, has been a point of contention for decades between Rabat and the Polisario Front.
