Republic of South Africa
Department Foreign Affairs

University of Pretoria

Conference on Multilateralism and International Law with Western Sahara as case study Hosted by the South African Department of Foreign Affairs and the University of Pretoria, 4 and 5 December 2008


Conference Communiqué

05.12.08


1.    The South African Department of Foreign Affairs and the University of Pretoria successfully hosted the Conference on Mutilateralism and International Law with Western Sahara as a Case Study in Pretoria on 4 and 5 December 2008. This conference was the final official event of the University of Pretoria centenary celebrations.

2.    The purpose of the conference was to reflect on the foreign policy precept that promotion of the rules based international order through multilateralism remains the essential prerequisite for the resolution of conflict between nations. As a case study, the conference analysed Africa’s longest-running dispute – the Western Sahara conflict.

3.    The following imminent government representatives, scholars and experts reflected on the status of the territory under international law, the principle of self-determination, the respect for human rights and international humanitarian law, obligations on third states and the lawfulness and/or legitimacy of natural resource exploitation in Western Sahara:
4. The Conference also took note of petitions made to the conference from:
5.    The Conference recognised that Western Sahara is the last colonial challenge facing the African  continent and participants called upon the International Community to:

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