UN General Assembly
1983

182. Respect for the universal principles that underlie the basic right of peoples to self-determination must be seen by every Member State as a sacred duty. It is a duty fulfilled by my country, Mali, when it recognized and reaffirmed the inalienable right of the people of Western Sahara to self-determination by means of an open and properly organized general referendum, which is the only way of resolving the serious crisis resulting from incomplete decolonization. Only the speedy conclusion of this process can help establish a just and definitive peace in that subregion of Africa, whose peoples, including my own, have through the ages been mutually enriched by their experiences, their culture and their philosophy of life. The question of Western Sahara must in no way impair the harmonious sharing of this common heritage.