| Press Statement Lynn L. Cassel, Acting Spokesperson Washington, DC January 17, 2002 Western Sahara: Polisario Releases Prisoners Of WarThe United States welcomes the release today by the Polisario Front of 115 Moroccan prisoners of war. We view this latest prisoner release by the Polisario as a positive step toward fulfilling its obligation under international humanitarian law to release, without conditions, all remaining Moroccan prisoners captured during the Western Sahara conflict. We have seen other recent positive developments in the dispute over the Western Sahara, including the efforts made by Morocco to account for Sahrawis missing from the conflict, and the decision taken by Morocco in November to grant amnesty to a number of Sahrawis serving prison sentences. The United States calls on all the parties to the Western Sahara dispute to respect international human rights law and release or account for all those missing or held prisoner since the start of the conflict, as called for by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1359. The United States urges the parties to continue their work to resolve all the issues remaining from this conflict, and to engage seriously with the representatives of the UN Secretary General to achieve a mutually acceptable solution to this long-standing problem. |
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