Question of Ifni and Spanish Sahara

XXIII. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED ON THE REPORTS OF THE FOURTH COMMITTEE
2428. Question of Ifni and Spanish Sahara

The General Assembly, Having examined the chapter of the report of the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples relating to the Territories of Ifni and Spanish Sahara,[1] Recalling its resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960 containing the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, Recalling also the resolution adopted on 16 October 1964 by the Special Committee,[2] Reaffirming its resolutions 2072 (XX) of 16 December 1965 and 2229 (XXI) of 20 December 1966, Noting that the Government of Spain, as the administering Power, has not yet applied the provisions of resolution 1514 (XV), Recalling the decision concerning the Territories tinder Spanish administration taken by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity at its third ordinary session, held at Addis Ababa from 5 to 9 November 1966, Reaffirming its resolution 2354 (XXII) of 19 December 1967, Noting the statement made by the administering Power on 7 December 1966 relating to Spanish Sahara,[3] particularly with respect to the sending of a special mission of the United Nations to this Territory, the return of exiles and the free exercise by the indigenous population of its right to self-determination, Noting further the statement made by the Permanent Representative of the administering Power on 29 November 1968,[4] according to which an official Spanish delegation would leave in the immediate future for Rabat with a view to signing a treaty with the Government of Morocco on the transfer forthwith of the Territory of Ifni to Morocco, Noting the difference in nature of the legal status of these two Territories, as well as the processes of decolonization envisaged by General Assembly resolution 2354 (XXII) for these Territories,

I IFNI

1. Reaffirms the inalienable right of the people of Ifni to self-determination in accordance with General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV);

2. Approves the chapter of the report of the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples relating to the Territory of Ifni;

3. Requests the administering Power to take immediately the necessary steps to accelerate the decolonization of Ifni and to determine with the Government of Morocco, bearing in mind the aspirations of the indigenous population, the procedures for the transfer of powers in accordance with the provisions of General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV);

4. Invites the administering Power to continue the dialogue which has begun with the Government of Morocco, with a view to implementing the provisions of paragraph 3 above;

5. Requests the Special Committee to continue its consideration of the situation in the Territory of Ifni and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its twenty-fourth session;

II SPANISH SAHARA

1. Reaffirms the inalienable right of the people of Spanish Sahara to self-determination in accordance with General Assembly resolution 15t4 (XV);

2. Approves the chapter of the report of the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples relating to the Territory of Spanish Sahara;

3. Invites the administering Power to determine at the earliest possible date, in conformity with the aspirations of the indigenous people of Spanish Sahara and in consultation with the Governments of Mauritania and Morocco and any other interested party, the procedures for the holding of a referendum under United Nations auspices with a view to enabling the indigenous population of the Territory to exercise freely its right to self-determination and, to this end:

(a) To create a favourable climate for the referendum to be conducted on an entirely free, democratic and impartial basis by permitting, inter alia, the return of exiles to the Territory;

(b) To take all the necessary steps to ensure that only the indigenous people of the Territory participate in the referendum;

(c) To refrain from any action likely to delay the process of the decolonization of Spanish Sahara;

(d) To provide all the necessary facilities to a United Nations mission so that it may be able to participate actively in the organization and holding of the referendum;

4. Requests the Secretary-General, in consultation with the administering Power and the Special Committee, to appoint immediately the special mission provided for in paragraph 5 of General Assembly resolution 2229 (XXI) and to expedite its dispatch to Spanish Sahara for the purpose of recommending practical steps for the full implementation of the relevant General Assembly resolutions, and in particular for determining the extent of United Nations participation in the preparation and supervision of the referendum and submitting a report to him for transmission to the General Assembly at its twenty-fourth session;

5. Requests the Special Committee to continue its consideration of the situation in the Territory of Spanish Sahara and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its twenty-fourth session.

1747th plenary meeting,
18 December 1968.

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[1] Ibid., Twenty-third Session, Annexes, addendum to agenda item 23 (A/7200/Rev.1), chapter XIII. [2] Ibid., Nineteenth Session, Annexes, annex No. 8 (part I) (A/5800/Rev.1), chapter IX, para. 112. [3] Ibid., Twenty-first Session, Fourth Committee, 1660th meeting, paras. 1-4. [4] Ibid., Twenty-third Session, Fourth Committee, 1799th meeting, paras. 43-46.