APS : Saturday, 24 December 2016
MADRID- Minister of Maghreb Affairs, African Union and Arab League Abdelkader Messahel said Friday, in Madrid, that the ruling of the European Court of Justice (ECJ), confirming that EU-Morocco free trade deal cannot apply to Western Sahara territory, “shows the rightness of Algeria’s position.”
Messahel, in an interview with APS, said “Western Sahara conflict is a decolonization issue and the territory is non-autonomous, hence the need for its people to enjoy the right to self-determination;”
In this respect, the ECJ ruling “is in line with the United Nations doctrine in relation to decolonization”.
“The ruling itself comes to back up the strength of the right against the right of the strength,” Messahel stressed.
With the ECJ ruling, Algeria hopes that both the United Nations and its Secretary General “takes note” of the fact, the Algerian official added.
“Algeria hopes (the ruling) has given a fresh impetus (to the issue) and will contribute to relaunch the decolonization process in Western Sahara.”
Messahel made the comment following the first session of Algerian-Spanish strategic dialogue held in Madrid, and which he co-chaired with Spanish Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Ignacio Ibanez.
