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WEEKLY NEWS |
original french
12.-18.05.2002
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
REFERENDUM
MOROCCO
HUMANITARIAN AID
SOLIDARITY
COMING UP
INTERNET
NEW PUBLICATIONS
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
10.05.02
60 Moroccan workers from Agadir were hired in April to work at the
Phos Boucraa phosphate mine, whereas the Moroccan authorities are
encouraging Saharawis to emigrate to the Arab Emirates to work as
waiters and baggage porters... (corr.)
10.05.02
High school pupils from the Hassan II lycée in El Ayoun have
re-named their school after Mohamed Fadel Ismail. On the special
web page
condolence messages keep coming in.
17.05.02
According a Moroccan paper "the Security forces of Laayoune on
10.05.02 seized 70 vehicles transporting mourners wishing to
take part in the Prayer for the Absent One (in Fadel Ismail's memory,
see week
19 ),
and children threw stones at the pacha. (...) Three members of the
Truth and Justice Forum were arrested for "incitation to prayer"
.
According to our sources H'mad Hammad, Ismaili Brahim and Baâmar El Hafed Moundi interrogated and tortured by the judicial police for several hours before being released in the evening, without getting their cars back.
REFERENDUM
Sweden
17 Swedish MEPs and MPs from six different political parties in a
letter at the end of April to the European governments insist upon
the EU's acting for the Saharawis´ right to decide about
their own future by a fair and internationally supervised referendum,
acting for a stop for all exploitation of the resources of Western
Sahara unless it is done in agreement with the elected
representatives of the Saharawis, to act for an increase in the
humanitarian assistance to the refugee camps, above all through WFP.
"...We urge all the governments of EU to listen to their conscience
and reason and to work for alternative 1 within the UN - a continued
work for the peace plan and a referendum. All the other alternatives,
which imply a support to the occupation force, must be rejected!...
It would be a shame if countries of the European Union continue to
contribute to the exploitation of Western Sahara and its people!..."
are some of the statements in the letter.
On 6 May the NGO Afrikagrupperna (Africa Groups of Sweden / Grupos Africa da Suécia) sent a letter to the members of the Security Council and to the Ambassadors in Sweden of the five permanent members, to "ask the Security Council to reject any solutions without a full respect of the right to self-determination of the Saharawi people, and to implement the Settlement Plan without delay".
14.05.02
MINURSO
The draft budget for MINURSO's exercise from 1 July 2002 to 30 June
2003 amounts to 41.529.500 dollars gross, which represents a
reduction of 15% in relation to the period of the previous
exercise.
MOROCCO
15.05.02
Human Rights
The Moroccan human rights Association reckons there to be still "at
least 45 political detainees" in Morocco, mainly Islamic militants or
Polisario Front sympathisers. "Advances made in regard to freedom of
expression since the beginning of the 90s, remain relative, fragile
and limites", its president explained during the presentation of his
annual report to the Moroccan media.
The AMDH believes that "Morocco is still far from the
construction of a state of law". The "Moroccan political system is
still characterised by the eviction of popular sovereignty" Mr.
Abdelhamid declared, "the most essential powers of the state remain
concentrated in the hands of the monarchy".
17.05.02
The president of the Amazigh World Congress demanded that the
Moroccan constitution should recognise the rights of the Imazighen
and autonomy of the zones in which the majority of the population
speak that language. It considers that the government, which decided
to offer autonomy to Western Sahara, should offer the same thing to
the Imazighen.
HUMANITARIAN AID
17.05.02
The administrative council of the WFP decided unanimously on giving
food aid valued at 30 million dollars for 155,430 Saharawi refugees.
This humanitarian aid, denoted by WFP experts as a long term
restoration and aid intervention (LPSR), covers the period
2002-2004 and is part of the extension of a similar operation over
the years 2000-2002. It benefits also from a budgetary increase
of 2 million dollars.(APS) (see week
16)
SOLIDARITY
Early Day Motion put down by Jeremy Corbyn in the UK parliament stating « That this House notes with deep regret the death of the Polisario representative to the United Kingdom, Fadel Ismael; recalls his life as one of the leading thinkers of the movement for self-determination of the Saharwi people; expresses sympathy to all his family; and hopes that the people of the Western Sahara realise their own self-determination.» at present 17 signatures.
18.05.02, Lorca, Andalucia: Inauguración de una plaza dedicada al pueblo saharaui.
COMING UP ...
Une société de production française a réalisé, du 30 avril au 6 mai, un documentaire sur le secteur de la pêche artisanale dans la région de Dakhla, pour le compte de la chaîne de télévision française France 3. Ce documentaire de 26 minutes sera diffusé sur France 3, dans le cadre de l'émission Thalassa.
21.05.02, 20 h., presentación del libro Relatos del Sáhara - La literatura española del desierto, Intervendran en el acto Ramón Mayrata, Escritor y autor de la selección y del prólogo, Javier Ruiz, Escritor y arqueólogo, José María Parreño, Escritor y Director de la colección, Delfin Seral Aranda, Director de Clan Editorial. El Ateneo de Madrid, Calle Prado 21, 28014 Madrid.
25.05.02: La Asociación de Amigos del Pueblo Saharaui de Alcobendas y S.S. de los Reyes, os invita a participar en la conferencia y posterior debate que tendrá lugar el dia 25 de Mayo a las 19:30, en el centro cívico Pablo Iglesias de Alcobendas. Contará con la presencia de Ahmed Mulay, representante del Frente Polisario en la Comunidad de Madrid. El acto está convocado por la Coordinadora de Asociaciones de Amigos del Pueblo Saharaui. A las 21:30 se celebrará una cena de hermandad en el restaurante JUMAR II c/ Severo Ochoa nº31, Alcobendas,precio por cubierto 20 euros. Se ruega a los asistentes a la cena se pongan en contacto con Cristina, telef.: 91 650 41 06; o con Julio telef: 696 74 47 94, lo antes posible, pues hay que reservar.
INTERNET
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