By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, October 14 -- In UN's Decolonization Committee replies on Monday morning, the UK cited a string of Latin American countries and said it had "nothing to add" about the Malvinas or Falkland Islands.
Argentina shot back that the UK was distorting the concept of self-determination. (Last week, as reported by Inner City Press, Bolivia's Permanent Representative Sacha Llorenti said the UK was engaged in "colonial marketing.")
Spain said, to the UK, that it was Gibraltar authorities causing tension, "launching" cement blocks with long spikes to hinder Spanish fishermen.
(The UK was one of four abstainers, versus 149 for, on a resolution of which is said it should be up to the "administering power" and those of a territory to decided when to stop reporting to the UN.)
India rejected Pakistan having raised Jammu and Kashmir in the Committee.
On the item that drew the most petitioners, Western Sahara, there were no replies on Monday. Rather, Algeria began the morning by insisting that a referendum with independence as an option must be held.
South Africa called Western Sahara the last colony in Africa, and cited decisions to this effect by the African Union as recently as January 2013.
Amid reports of Francophone AU countries last week blocking others AU members drive to withdraw en masse from the International Criminal Court, one wonders how these same Francophones, like Democratic Republic of Congo which spoke pro-Morocco, have not yet chewed into AU positions on Western Sahara.
Morocco's Permanent Representative Loulichki gave his speech, not seeming to directly address the issue of a referendum with independence of an option but saying the the phosphates of Western Sahara represent only 1.6% of the phosphates of Morocco.
The Salvadoran chair of the Committee asked Loulichki to wrap up with on sentence, but he went longer. Then, no rights of reply on the issue.
From Rabat, Inner City Press was contacted that UN envoy Christopher Ross is in Morocco, but no one knows why. So we're put the question in. Watch this site.
