{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.inhofe.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/inhofe-speaks-on-the-senate-floor-about-western-sahara", "Inhofe Speaks on the Senate Floor About Western Sahara", "2020-11-10", "2020", "2020-11", "Republican", "House", "OK", "James Inhofe", "I000024", "www.inhofe.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Today, U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) spoke on the Senate floor about the struggle in Western Sahara.\r\n\r\nLast week, while most of the world was focused on our election and the pending results, a very significant action was taking place halfway around the world in Western Sahara.\r\nSimply put, Morocco chose that time  likely purposely  to threaten to push back on protests by Western Saharans on their own land.\r\nThis seems simple, but you have to remember how we got here, and why the status of the Sahrawi people is still in question and what we need to do to create a lasting solution.\r\nSo how we got here: as West Africa was being decolonized, Western Sahara was clear and declared itself an independent nation, despite Morocco attempting to claim it as a territory.\r\nIn 1966, the U.N. General Assembly resolution agreed that a referendum of self-determination should be held. Spain, Morocco, everyone agreed, and planned to hold one in 1975.\r\nSelf-determination. Merely letting the Sahrawi people decide, for themselves the imperative principle of action  the right to judge for themselves to be independent or be part of Morocco.\r\nThis was just the first promise of a referendum. To date, none have been kept.\r\nAn International Court of Justice opinion from 1975 also agreed that Morocco did not have sovereignty over the land and that a referendum of self-determination should be held.\r\nThat was the second promise.\r\nMorocco maintained its unlawful claim to Western Sahara, and after decolonization, attempted to annex the territory with force.\r\nWestern Sahara  officially the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, through the Polisario, defended their rights and land.\r\nAfter more than a decade of violence from Morocco, the United Nations finally intervened in 1991 and both sides agreed to a cease-fire and a path forward.\r\nCalled the Settlement Plan, it solidified that Morocco and Western Sahara agreed to hold a referendum and created the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).\r\nFor those keeping track  that was the third promise. And, it's worth noting that the U.N. regularly reaffirms the 1991 commitment to a referendum for self-determination.\r\nThe planned referendum in 1992 never took place and the process stalled, though the ceasefire held  Morocco just wouldn't hold up its end of the bargain.\r\nFormer Secretary of State James Baker tried again in 1997. Named Special Envoy to Western Sahara, Baker worked multiple plans with Morocco and Western Sahara.\r\nThe most notable  the Houston Agreement  was signed by Morocco and Western Sahara and recommitted to the referendum of self-determination, planned for 1998  the fourth time.\r\nMorocco, recognizing they would likely lose a vote, quickly tanked all negotiations the next year by declaring they would never accept a referendum that included independence as an outcome, despite years of promises otherwise.\r\nIt's been called a frozen conflict  where no outcome exists, yet there is no perceived active conflict. It makes it easy for the rest of the world to forget about it.\r\nBut to call this a frozen conflict makes it seem harmless, when the reality is that it is anything but that.\r\nTens and tens of thousands of Sahrawi live in refugee camps, primarily in Tindoof, Algeria. They have been forced from their homes, waiting for a resolution.\r\nAllowing this process to stall has cost them a generation of freedom.\r\nI've been to those camps many times  as recently as 2019  where I saw clearly their persistence and hope.\r\nBeyond denying the Sahrawi people their right to freedom and self-determination, the government of Morocco is trying to steal and pillage as much as possible from the land they have unlawfully claimed.\r\nThey are stealing their natural resources, unlawfully mining and selling valuable critical minerals  specifically phosphate. They are illegally fishing in Western Sahara's waters.\r\nAnd what does Morocco do with these riches? Pay millions of dollars each year to lobbyists in Washington. Their goal? To convince the world they are innocent and demonize the Sahrawi people.\r\nThe Moroccans believe that they can wait out the rest of the world. They want us to forget about the human rights of the Sahrawis.\r\nThey know a frozen conflict benefits them and hurts the cause of independence. They also know they can push the boundaries of what is acceptable.\r\nThat's how we got to this point  where just a few weeks ago, while the people of Western Sahara were peacefully protesting in the Guerguerat region.\r\nAs you can clearly see in this map, the Guerguerat is located in the southwest - between Mauritania and Western Sahara and far from the border with Morocco.\r\nBut Morocco has repeatedly attempted to use a road in this region to transport goods in violation of the U.N. ceasefire agreement.\r\nIt was this illegal use of the territory that the Western Saharans were peacefully protesting.\r\nRather than recognizing their right to protest, Morocco has once again raised a call to arms and is threatening to crushing these legitimate protests.\r\nKing Mohammed of Morocco said just this past weekend: Morocco will not waiver in its position. We're also hearing concerning reports that he's sending military forces to the region as well in a clear escalation.\r\nThis isn't a new problem  Morocco has been trying to illegally use the Guerguerat issue for too long.\r\nThis is concerning for two reasons.\r\nThe first is simple  Morocco is escalating this situation again to claim more and more land, resources and rights that they have no lawful claim to  and they know it too.\r\nIn 2017, the U.S. was encouraging the U.N. to send a technical team to the Guerguerat. Western Sahara welcomed this. Morocco blocked it because they didn't want to be exposed.\r\nThe second is that no one else  no one around the world is raising the cause for alarm.\r\nWhere is the United Nations? They are charged with enforcing the 1991 cease-fire agreement  yet they are nowhere, as they have been silently tolerating Morocco's abuses for years.\r\nThat's why the time is now to move this from a frozen conflict and force Morocco to live up to their agreement of nearly 30 years and hold the referendum.\r\nNot in a year, not in three years  we need to take steps to hold the referendum for self-determination now.\r\nMorocco is escalating and, left unchecked, they are going to keep their escalation going. The result would be inevitable. We would risk to turning back to the times of open conflict.\r\nThe U.N. needs to step up now and enforce their agreement and the world needs to prove we all stand for our values of freedom and democracy by extending those values to the Sahrawis. They have waited long enough.\r\nEveryone is in agreement  on our side we have the African Union, which is comprised of 55 member states.\r\nWe have most of the European Community, who support the U.N. efforts. The European Court of Justice also ruled that Western Sahara is not part of Morocco and that no EU economic agreements can cover Western Sahara.\r\nSo the rest of the world is on our side. Who does Morocco have? Paid lobbyists.\r\nSome of the lobbyists Morocco has employed: JPC Strategies, Thirdcircle, Neale Creek - averaging over a $1 million each year.\r\nI made that clear when I testified before a House committee in 2005 about this issue. This has stalled because there is just no money on our side- Morocco has it all.\r\nSo here's what we need to do while we need to do while we work to schedule a referendum: we need the United Nations to send a team to the Guerguerat to confirm that Morocco is in violation of the agreement.\r\nThen  and here is the key part  they need to enforce the 1991 cease-fire agreement. This will restore good faith with all parties that can then make real progress to reaching a referendum of self-determination.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.inhofe.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/inhofe-speaks-on-the-senate-floor-about-western-sahara"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7913350127637386, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}