RAMTANE LAMAMRA, Minister for Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad of Algeria, said that despite its many challenges, the pandemic offered an opportunity to repair the mistakes of the past.  These included reforming the United Nations system to strengthen its ability to fulfil its various mandates and revitalizing the General Assembly.  In addition, the Security Council needed to be reformed to ensure equitable geographic representation.  He also called for reforms to redress the historical injustice suffered by the African continent.  Deeply concerned about the lack of prospects for a just and final solution to the Palestinian question, he condemned the repressive practices of the Israeli occupation and its denial of international law.  He urged the Security Council to assume its responsibilities by allowing the Palestinian people to establish an independent State with East Jerusalem as its capital.

On the matter of the Western Sahara, he reaffirmed his Government’s support for the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination.  He called on the United Nations to assume its legal responsibilities towards the Sahrawi people and guarantee their inalienable rights.  He also called for a free and fair referendum, stating that the occupying State has repeatedly failed to meet its international obligations.  The fate of Western Sahara is a question of decolonization, he stressed, adding his support for the decision of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union to launch direct negotiations between Morocco and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.

Regarding the situation in Libya, he voiced his opposition to unilateral coercive measures.  Algeria was ready to continue its efforts to organize a national reconciliation, he stated.  Further, in Mali, his Government was determined to continue to support the Peace and Reconciliation Agreement Committee resulting from the Algiers process.  He welcomed the progress made, despite the spread of the terrorist threats in Mali and throughout the Sahel.  On the domestic front, he announced that his Government continues to consolidate its democracy, enshrining the rule of law and social justice, through the amendment of the Constitution and the holding of legislative elections.