To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will seek to ensure that the rights of the Saharawi population of Western Sahara to enjoy specific natural resources, as stated in Article 1 of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights, are fulfilled. (288001)

The Government believe that progress towards a negotiated solution to the dispute in Western Sahara, providing for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, is best achieved under the auspices of the UN. In accordance with UN Security Resolution 1871 of 30 April 2009, the UK fully supports the efforts of the UN Secretary General and his Personal Envoy, Christopher Ross, to facilitate a negotiated solution to the conflict.

The UK maintains its position that Morocco, as the de facto administering power of Western Sahara, is obliged under international law to ensure that economic activities under administration—including the extraction and exportation of natural resources—do not adversely affect the interests of the people in Western Sahara.