An Open Letter about the Foreign Policy Lines toward the Western Sahara Conflict

To Prime Minister Mr. Junichiro Koizumi

Foreign Minister Mr. Nobutaka Machimura

In his speech at the UN General Assembly on 21 September 2004 Prime Minister Mr. Koizumi asserted: “Convinced that we can contribute to creating a better world with our own capabilities, Japan has endeavored steadfastly to fulfill its role as a responsible UN member.” He also stressed that “countries with the will and resources to play a major role in the international peace and security must always take part in the Council’s decision-making process” and declared his strong determination to be a permanent member of the UN Security Counsil, concluding: “We believe that the role that Japan has played provides a solid basis for its assumption of permanent membership on the Security Council.”

Now that Mr. Koizumi declared his strong determination to carry such a great responsibility it is required that the Japanese Government shows clearly its “will and resources to play a major role” to solve also the Problem of Western Sahara, which has been on the agenda of the UN Security Council since 1991.

As Mr. Koizumi referred in his speech, the third conference of TICAD (Tokyo International Conference of African Development) was held last year. Previous to the conference we sent an open letter to Mr. Koizumi and Mrs. Kawaguchi (the then Foreign Minister) concerning a fair treatment of the problem of Western Sahara. In this letter we required that the Japanese Government should invite the Sahara Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), one of the regular members of the African Union (AU), to the conference. The African Union has been a main partner of TICAD and the main constituent of the New Partnership of African Development (NEPAD) as the carrier of “the African Ownership”. Therefore we consider that the Japanese Government goes against its ideal of TICAD, when it neglects a regular member of the AU.

But the answer from the Foreign Ministry only said: “We have been hoping that the problem of Western Sahara would be settled quickly and peacefully through negotiations between the parties concerned. Therefore we have been supporting the intermediation by the secretary-general of the UN.” Putting up this passive attitude as a sign in advance, the Japanese Government has been excluding the SADR under the pretext of that “our country” has not recognized the SADR, on the other hand continuing to invite Morocco to the conference without critical examination about the fact, that Morocco has been illegally occupying the Western Sahara. In this way the Japanese Government has been one-sidedly supporting Morocco, the occupant of the Western Sahara, neglecting the basic policy of the AU, which has already recognized the SADR, and violated its own aim “establishing peace”, one of the TICAD-pillars for supporting Africa.

This shows clearly that the Japanese Government has been not only quite passive in the difficult conflict, which the UN Security Council has been for many years struggling with, but also exposed their one-sided foreign policy supporting the occupying country. Thus we must judge that the statement of Mr. Koizumi “convinced that we can contribute to creating a better world with our own capabilities, Japan has endeavored steadfastly to fulfill its role as a responsible UN member” does not correspond with reality, and therefore it is impossible that Japan could be estimated by the international community as a suitable permanent member of the UN Security Council “with the will and resources to play a major role in the international peace and security”.

Morocco not only frustrated the settlement plan for Western Sahara (Resolution 690-1991) that was adopted in April 1991, but also refused the so called “peace plan” (Resolution 1495-2003), which grants Morocco widely its interests by setting a temporary autonomy of five years and accepting the Moroccan settlers as voters of the referendum. Moreover, Morocco insisted to refuse any possibility for the independence of Western Sahara. As a result Mr. Baker, the special envoy of Mr. Kofi Annan, who had proposed the peace plan, was forced into resigning. Mr. Kofi Annan criticized strictly this irresponsible attitude of Morocco in his report in April of this year.

Faced this situation, the AU nominated the SADR for vice-chairman of the AU at its top-level conference in July, and in September the South Africa recognized the SADR and opened diplomatic relations. Consequently the SADR has now diplomatic relations with three (Algeria, Nigeria, South Africa) of the five initiators of the NEPAD. Mr. Konaré, the chairman of the AU, who visited Japan recently, emphasized in his lecture on 16 October the necessity that Morocco as one of the important African countries should be a regular member of the AU, but expressed his regret that Morocco has been remaining outside of the AU in refusing the UN settlement plan. Moreover, he emphasized that the AU aims at the unity of the 53 member countries. For him it is obvious that the SADR belongs to these 53 countries. Thus the approval for the SADR in the AU has been increasing steadily.

Therefore we consider that the Japanese Government should face up to this reality in the international community, especially in Africa, correct its one-sided policy close to Morocco, and take a diplomatic initiative to aim a fair and peaceful settlement for the Western Sahara based on the principle of self-determination. If Japan would be seen by its partners, especially by the African countries, as a country “with the will and resources to play a major role in the international peace and security”, this, we must emphasize without exaggeration, essentially depends on its policy toward the problem of the Western Sahara. The Japanese Government should not repeat the preceding mistake in its policy toward East Timor, as it had to catch upwith the political developments, still clinging to its pro-Indonesian attitude.

Based on the above consideration we will ask the following questions and request your sincere answers by 15 November 2004.

We will release these questions to the persons and organizations supporting Western Sahara in Japan and in foreign countries as we did last year. We will release your answers as well. If we get no answers, we will also make public that fact.

１、 What is the “constructive and innovative” role, which the Japanese Government, which is aiming at permanent membership of the UN Security Council and will be a non-permanent member from 2005 onwards, will play in settling the dispute about the Western Sahara?

２、 What is the “major role”, which the Japanese Government will play as the country that is aiming at permanent membership of the UN Security Council and will be a non-permanent member from 2005 onwards, in order to stop the illegal occupation of the Western Sahara by Morocco?

３、 The Japanese Government manifested its will to contribute through TICAD to the peace and development of Africa. And in the statement on 13 October 2004 “For the strengthening of relations between Japan and the AU” it also proposed creating a mechanism of continuing consultations and dialogues between the AU and Japan. In this case it should be indispensable to start consultations and dialogues with the SADR, an important AU member, that has been recognized by many AU members like South Africa, and has acted vice-chairman of the AU repeatedly. We request your clear view on this.

On October 25, 2004

Western Sahara Campaign Tokyo　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

Japan-Sahara Association Kagawa