UN apologises for vandalism

2008-01-31 20:41

New York - The United Nations said on Thursday it has apologised to the Polisario independence movement for the vandalism of prehistoric rock art carried out by some UN peacekeepers in disputed Western Sahara.

The UN mission in the Western Sahara pointed to media reports, quoting professors from European universities, suggesting some of its peacekeepers had vandalised prehistoric art carved onto rocks depicting human and animal figures in Western Sahara.

The mission, known by its French acronym Minurso, said that it "agrees that the evidence available from some sites suggest that some of the graffiti present were the work of Minurso military personnel".

"Other graffiti, of which there was a significant number, were clearly the work of others over a number of years," it added.

The mission said that since the Polisario drew attention to the vandalism in the middle of 2007, "action has been taken to stop any further vandalism, and a formal enquiry is being undertaken."

It said Minurso head Julian Harston, a Briton, discussed the affair with Polisario representatives during UN-sponsored talks on the territory's future in the New York suburb of Manhasset earlier this month.

Harston "apologised for the unthinking actions of some Minurso members in the past and undertook to investigate the matter further and explore the possibility of remedial action," its statement said.

In Zagreb, Croatian authorities on Thursday slammed the vandalism perpetrated by some UN peacekeepers, including a Croatian national, in Western Sahara.

"The Croatian defence ministry strongly condemns this vandalistic act as unethical and disrespectful to historical and cultural heritage of the country," the ministry said.

It vowed to investigate and take appropriate measures against the Croat who participated in the spraying of graffiti at an isolated site known as Devil Mountain, which locals see as an important part of their culture.

Morocco, which annexed the phosphate-rich, mainly desert Western Sahara in the 1970s following the withdrawal of colonial power Spain, and the Polisario failed to make any headway in their third round of direct talks in Manhasset earlier this month.

But they agreed to hold a fourth round, also in Manhasset, March 11-13 to try to reconcile Morocco's offer of broad autonomy to the Sahrawis and the Polisario's demand for a referendum with the option of full independence.

The two sides agreed a ceasefire in 1991 after years of fighting, but a promised self-determination referendum never materialised and since 2002 Rabat has insisted that holding such a plebiscite is no longer realistic.

- AFP