Irish government acknowledges meeting with Polisario representatives

Following two weeks of silence, the Irish government finally acknowledged a meeting with Polisario representatives in Dublin on February 14th. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Michael Martin, responded on Tuesday to written inquiries from MPs Chris Andrews and Patrick Costello by confirming the meeting.

«On 14 February, officials from my Department met with visiting representatives of the Polisario Front to discuss the ongoing political situation in Western Sahara». 

Minister Martin added that the meeting «was an opportunity to discuss a variety of issues including the return to armed conflict in the region, engagement with the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), the peace process, and human rights issues, including within Sahrawi refugee camps».

Notably, he did not confirm or deny the presence of Polisario leader Brahim Ghali among the visiting delegation.

For context, Brahim Ghali led a Polisario delegation to Dublin on February 14th and 15th, including a meeting with Irish President Michael D. Higgins. Following this, the Irish embassy in Rabat issued a press release clarifying that the Polisario visit was «private and did not respond to an official invitation».