Question of Spanish Sahara

XXV. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED ON THE REPORTS OF THE FOURTH COMMITTEE
2711. Question of 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 Territory of 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 relevant provisions of its resolution 2621 (XXV) of 12 October 1970 containing the programme of action for the full implementation of the Declaration, Taking into consideration the resolutions adopted, respectively, by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity at its seventh ordinary session, held at Addis Ababa from 1 to 3 September 1970, and by the Third Conference of Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries, held at Lusaka from 8 to 10 September 1970, Reaffirming its resolutions 2072 (XX) of 16 December 1965, 2229 (XXI) of 20 December 1966, 2354 (XXII) of 19 December 1967, 2428 (XXIII) of 18 December 1968 and 2591 (XXIV) of 16 December 1969,

1. Reaffirms the inalienable right of the people of the Sahara 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 Spanish Sahara;

3. Expresses its regret that it has not yet been possible for the consultations to take place which the administering Power was to conduct with the Governments concerned in connexion with the holding of a referendum in the Territory;

4. Declares that the continued existence of a colonial situation in the Territory retards stability and harmony in north-west Africa;

5. Regrets the incidents of bloodshed which occurred in the Territory in June 1970 and calls upon the Spanish Government, in conformity with its obligations and its responsibility as administering Power, to take effective measures to create the atmosphere of défente required for the orderly holding of the referendum as defined by the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly;

6. Repeats its invitation to the administering Power to determine at the earliest possible date, in conformity with the aspirations of the indigenous people of the Territory 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 Sahara 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 all 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 comply with the resolutions of the General Assembly on the activities of foreign economic, financial and other interests operating in colonial countries and territories and to refrain from any action likely to delay the process of decolonization of the Territory;

(d) To receive a United Nations mission and to provide it with all the necessary facilities so that it may be able to participate actively in the organization and holding of the referendum, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 2591 (XXIV);

7. Invites all States to refrain from making investments in the Territory in order to speed the achievement of self-determination by the people of the Sahara;

8. Reaffirms that it recognizes the legitimacy of the struggle being waged by the colonial peoples for the exercise of their right to self-determination and to freedom of choice, and calls upon all States to provide them with all necessary assistance;

9. Urges the administering Power to respect and to implement scrupulously the provisions of the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly relating to the free consultation of peoples under United Nations auspices and guarantees and in conformity with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations which define the conditions for the free consultation of peoples with a view to their self-determination;

10. 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 the Sahara in order to recommend practical steps for the full implementation of the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly, in particular to confirm United Nations participation in the preparation and supervision of the referendum and to submit a report to the Secretary-General for transmission to the Assembly at its twenty-sixth session;

11. Requests the Special Committee to continue its consideration of the situation in the Territory and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its twenty-sixth session.

1929th plenary meeting,
14 December 1970.


[1] Ibid., chapter IX.
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