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WEEKLY NEWS |
original french
04.-10.11.2001
29-31.10.01
Referendum
The international trade union federation Public Services
International PSI's World Executive Board, meeting in Seoul 29-31
October, has called on the UN to organise the long awaited referendum
(in Western Sahara) without further delays, and expressed its support
to the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination and
independence.
01.11.01
MINURSO
Spanish journalists following the King of Morocco's trip to Western
Sahara noticed that MINURSO was proceeding to a significant reduction
in the staff of the Identification Commission. This has gone down
from 120 to 86 members. It is planned that only 36 people will
remain. Their job will be to microfilm the documents which have been
assembled. Farhan el-Haq, UN spokesperson, confirmed the story,
"since at the moment there is nothing to do". He added that this does
not mean that the UN has the intention to withdraw its mission from
the territory.
The representative of the Polisario Front to the UN, Ahmed Boukhari, declared that this measure is "illegal, surprising and politically counterproductive", as the Security Council resolution 1359 of 29 June 2001 does not authorise the least change concerning the functioning and the staffing of MINURSO until the next resolution. "This reduction reflects the pessimistic atmosphere that has hovered over MINURSO since Morocco's blockage", he added. (ONU, SPS)
02.11.01
Algeria
President Bouteflika, on an official visit of the United States, had
talks with James Baker in Houston. The Minister of Justice,
Ahmed Ouyahia, together with Abdelkader Messahel, Minister
Delegate responsible for African Affairs, attended the meeting.
"Algeria is not against a third way concerning Western Sahara",
Bouteflika is alleged to have stated, according to "Le Quotidien
d'Oran", which was following Bouteflika's visit. These words, spoken
in private during a meeting with American businessmen, provoked
violent reactions in the independent Algerian press. The Algerian
Press Agency APS, firmly denied these allegations and confirmed
Algeria's commitment in favour of the right to self-determination of
the Saharawi people. (El Watan, La Tribune, Le Matin,
APS)
03.11.01
SADR
The Saharawi President sent a letter asking the French Prime Minister
to annul the contract signed beween TotalFinaElf and Morocco, calling
it illegal. Mohamed Abdelaziz also wrote to the personal envoy of
Kofi Annan, James Baker, expressing the view that the nationality of
the two companies (TotalFinaElf of France and Kerr McGee of the USA)
has a very negative impact on their confidence in these two
countries, which should be playing an important role in guaranteeing
peace. The Saharawi President also mentioned the preparations for the
Paris-Dakar rally, which are going on "with the blessing of the
French government", as well as the recent visit of the King of
Morocco to the occupied territories, which constitute "an
unacceptable escalation with extremely serious consequences for the
current peace effort and for the stability of the region". He asked
for the intervention of the United Nations to cancel these contracts,
to condemn the visit of the King of Morocco and to prevent the
Paris-Dakar rally from going through Saharawi territory.
On 6 November the Security Council decided to ask the UN Legal Department for an opinion on the legality of the oil exploration contracts in Western Sahara prior to self-determination by the Saharawi people, Ahmed Boukhari, Saharawi representative at the UN, told the SPS.
03-05.11.01
Moroccan-Spanish diplomatic crisis
While the Spanish authorities are trying to minimise the crisis set
off by Morocco between the two countries, Rabat continues to accuse
Madrid of "hiding" the many problems which have arisen between to two
countries in recent months. Morocco insists in particular on the
referendum organised in Andalusia, considered as an interference in
the internal affairs of Morocco.
On the other hand a highly placed Spanish official recognised that
"the Moroccans would have liked us to align our position with that of
Paris" during the work of the UN Decolonisation Commission last
October. During these debates, France tried without success to
manipulate the official position of the European Union on Western
Sahara. The president of the European parliamentary intergroup,
"Peace for the Saharawi people", Margot Kessler, made an urgent
appeal on 4 November asking for explanations from the French Minister
of Foreign Affairs. Mrs Kessler believes that "the efforts of France
to manipulate the official position of the EU are totally
unacceptable".
For his part, the MEP, Isidoro Sanchez, member of the ad hoc delegation which visited the Saharawi refugee camps recently, thinks that faced with the prospect of the forthcoming withdrawal of MINURSO, the European Parliament owes it to itself to intervene, for "there is a very delicate conflict of interests in which the United States and France are involved". Sanchez, also a member of the intergroup "Peace for the Saharawi people", will ask the European Parliament to intervene in favour of the United Nations peace plan, believing that a "formidable" diplomatic effort must be undertaken to resolve the conflict.
03.11.01
Liberations
The liberation of Saharawis political prisoners Eddah Echaihk and
Mousamih el Arbi, who had served their sentencs of two years'
imprisonment for having participated in the uprising of El Ayoun in
1999 was joyously celebrated in El Ayoun. These two prisoners figured
on the list of the BERDHSO campaign.
03.11.01
Humanitarian Aid
The director of the aid programmes and emergency operations of
Algerian Red Crescent, Ali Bouguedour, deplored the "serious
failures" which are " prejudicial" to humanitarian aid of the United
Nations to the Saharawi refugees. In contrast he congratulated the
ECHO team which distributes European Union humanitarian aid ,
believing however, that this aid should be increased.
Mrs Lalumière, during a press conference on her return from
the Saharawi refugee camps, pointed out the critical food
situation of the refugees. "There is a sort of negligence on the part
of the World Food Program, judging its insufficient presence in the
camps. It is urgent that the World Food Program should react, the
European parliamentarian added.
In a letter read to the European parliamentary delegation, in the
name of the NGOs committed on the ground, Sabine Eckart of Medico
International said that the NGOs had noted "a continual decline
in food aid destined for the Saharawi refugees" and a continual
reduction or stagnation of aid from UNHCR, as well as donor fatigue
of certain donors who "are becoming less involved claiming that
support for the Saharawi refugee has been going on for too
long".
Spain will contribute $216,000 for the Saharawi refugees , the High Commissioner for Refugees, Rudd Lubbers announced on 6 November.
04.11.01
Spanish legislative initiative
The solidarity movement with the Saharawi people is collecting
signatures to present to the Cortès(Parliament) a "popular
legislative initiative". This initiative, which requires 500,000
signatures to be received, asks the Spanish parliament to support the
Western Sahara peace plan. The handing over of the signatures is
expected on 23 November, in the presence of the Saharawi president
Mohamed Abdelaziz, who will then attend the annual conference of the
European Coordination of support for the Saharawi people in Seville
on 23, 24 and 25 November next.
In Barcelona members of the Association of Friends of the Saharawi people who were collecting signatures, were attacked by a group of about a hundred Moroccans. (La Vanguardia)
05-10.11.01
Visit of Danielle Mitterrand
Mrs Danielle Mitterrand arrived on the 6th in the Saharawi camps
after talks in Algiers with the president of the Algerian Committee
of support to the Saharawi people. She went to three wilayas where
she was warmly welcomed, and visited schools, hospitals, gardens and
a museum of war booty. In Dakhla, she called on the mother of Mohamed
Daddach, who had just been liberated. Impressed by the social
assets of the Saharawi population in exile, she mentioned "equality
between the sexes, respect of human rights and freedom of expression"
which she had noticed while there. "This peaceful people who aspires
to liberty, should exercise their legitimate right to
self-determination, she declared. (SPS)
06.11.01
Anniversary of the Green March
In his traditional speech on the occasion of the anniversary of the
invasion of Western Sahara, the King of Morocco, "sure of his
sovereignty over this territory", called all the parties concerned to
the acceptance of the framework-agreement. He reaffirmed his
determination to "consolidate regionalisation" and to follow
"personally" the preparation of the draft plan of integrated
development.
The Saharawi Minister of Information described his speech as "rushing headlong" in "a vain attempt to hide the negative record of the first two years of his reign." According to Mr Batal, the King of Morocco "is desperately seeking a lifeline to palliate the disappointment, frustration and the disarray which have gripped Moroccan citizens and his friends abroad".(SPS)
Moulay Hicham Alaoui, a cousin of the king, in an interview to a Spanish daily, called the autonomy plan "outmoded".(El Periodico)
06.11.01
MINURSO
Kofi Annan has appointed a new special representative for Western
Sahara, William Lacy Swing, an American born in 1934, following
the resignation of William Eagleton. Swing takes up his post on 1
December. For the last two years he was US ambassador in the
Democratic Republic of Congo, and has filled the same function in
various countries of Africa.
International
campaign for the liberation of Mohamed Daddach and all political
prisoners sentenced by Morocco
07.11.01:
Liberations
56 political prisoners have benefited from a royal pardon on the
occasion of the anniversary of the Green March.
The official statement published in Rabat indicated that it concerned
persons detained following events in El Ayoun (37 prisoners), persons
detained following events in Marrakech (14 prisoners), persons
detained in relation to affairs n° 2000/1280 and
2000/2499, sentenced in the Court of Appeal in Agadir (4 prisoners),
and one person detained in relation to affair n° 79/285/1260
sentenced by the permanent military tribunal of the Royal Armed
Forces.
Among
them are the 24 Saharawi political prisoners, for whom the
international the European Bureau for the Respect of Human Rights in
Western Sahara has been campaigning, including Mohamed Daddach,
imprisoned for 23 years.
The others are either Moroccan students who joined with the
Saharawis, or people sentenced for their taking part in pillages of
Saharawi businesses or homes during the events of El
Ayoun.(Info
campagne N° 8, french)
This liberation comes after an intense campaign by the prisoners
themselves, initiated by hunger strikes by Daddach and followed by
other prisoners, supported by human rights organisations in Western
Sahara, and the international campaign of BERDHSO for the liberation
of all Saharawi political prisoners. All the detainees left prison on
8 November. They were greeted in Marrakech by Saharawi students and
with elation by the Saharawi population of El Ayoun.
In a press release the Truth and Justice Forum Sahara welcomed this liberation, coming "thanks to local popular and international pressure". It reaffirmed their demands asking for respect of human rights in Western Sahara in accordance with international law, the establishment of truth on the fate of Saharawi disappeared, the liberation of the living and the restitution of the mortal remains of those who have died, the protection of civilians from the dangers of antipersonnel mines, material compensation for victims, bringing those responsible for human rights abuses to justice, and the opening of a fair and impartial enquiry concerning the communal graves of Lemseyed and Jderiya. (communiqués FVJS, Amnesty international, Intergroupe parlementaire «Paix pour le peuple sahraoui» )
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