DILI, 30 august 2024 (TATOLI) – The President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Brahim Ghali, congratulated the people of Timor-Leste and its leaders on the 25th anniversary of the Referendum of Popular Consultation Day (30 August 1999–30 August 2024).
Brahim Ghali conveyed his congratulations during an official meeting with Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão at the government office on Friday.
“I would like to congratulate the Prime Minister, Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, the President of the Republic, and the people of Timor-Leste, who are celebrating 25 years of popular consultation. We are really happy about this, our allies, our friends, and we want to take this opportunity to repeat our congratulations on this great day that has been followed closely by the Sahrawi people and that there will come a time when the Sahrawi people will also experience it, ‘he said.
The meeting with the Prime Minister discussed the national and international situation, including bilateral cooperation between the two countries. It is known that bilateral relations between Timor-Leste and the Saudi Arab Democratic Republic have been established since Timor-Leste gained its independence.
Timor-Leste, as a newly independent country, has shown support for the struggle of the Saudi Arab people for the right to self-determination. Since declaring the restoration of independence in 2002, Timor-Leste has been active in international forums to support the rights of colonized peoples, including the Sahrawi Arabs in the Western Sahara Region.
On the occasion of Timor-Leste’s admission as a member of the UN, then-President Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão called for the replication of the implementation of the UN plan to conduct a referendum on self-determination in Western Sahrawi.
In his call, Gusmão said, “With a democratic, fair, and free vote, like the one in Timor-Leste, this unjust situation can be ended”.
Last April, Timor-Leste approved a draft government resolution to make a donation of $60,000 to the Permanent Representation of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic in Timor-Leste.
In addition, it was stated that the donation was the principle of solidarity with the people’s struggle for national liberation and the right to self-determination and independence, which is enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic, in the National Parliament Resolution on solidarity and support for the Saharawi people.
Timor-Leste itself has contributed, since 2011, to the functioning of the Permanent Representation in Dili through the provision of an annual subsidy for the implementation of its activities in Timor-Leste and in the region.
The Democratic Republic of Sahrawi Arabia (RDAS) or Western Sahara is a limited recognition state that claims control over the entire territory of Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony.
It was proclaimed by the Polisario Front on 27 February 1976. The government of the DRAS currently controls about 20 percent of the claimed territory. Morocco controls the rest of the disputed territory.
Journalist: Camilio de Sousa
Editor: Rafael Ximenes de A. Belo
