|
WEEKLY NEWS |
original french
08.-14.12.2002
- SADR
- OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
- REFERENDUM
- MOROCCO
- HUMAN RIGHTS
- INTERNET
- NEW PUBLICATIONS
SADR
09.12.02
Visit to Germany
The President of SADR Mohamed Abdelaziz, accompanied by the
coordinator with MINURSO, M'hamed Khaddad and the Polisario
representative in Germany, Jamal Zakari, carried out a visit to
several Länder of the Federal Republic. On 10 December the
delegation was received in Bremen at the government and parliament
office, where the President of the Landtag (regional government)
reaffirmed his unconditional support for the self-determination of
the Saharawi people and for the continued technical support of his
country, which has a long tradition. On the 12th the delegation was
received in the parliament of Lower Saxony in Hanover and at the town
hall of Hanover. On 13 Thuringa welcomed the delegation where the
authorities have, following the example of the other regions,
expressed their support for the right to self-determination of the
Saharawi people. (SPS)
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
10.12.02 -
54th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights -
International day of human rights
El Ayoun
Over 400 prisoners from El Ayoun's civil prison - Saharawi political
detainees with Saharawi and Moroccan prisoners of common law -
observe a collective hunger strike on the occasion of the 54th
anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They
protested against the conditions of their confinement and denounced
the assassination in that prison of Boucetta Mohamed.
Rabat-Salé
The Saharawi political detainee Tamek Ali Salem, now in the
penitentiary complex of Salé also observes a 24-hour hunger
strike.
Smara
The authorities of Smara have forbidden the families of disappeared
Saharawis to organise a peaceful sit-in for an hour outside the
barracks of the Royal Gendarmerie despite lodging a request for
authorisation the previous day. Human rights defenders including
Moumen Mohamed Mahmoud, were summoned by the pasha of Smara and
threatened should they continue with the demonstration.
(corr.).
10.12.02
Death of Boucetta Mohamed (continued)
The prison warder suspected of having tortured Boucetta Mohamed was
heard by the judicial police of Laâyoune as part of an inquest
ordered by the Attorney General of the King at the court of appeal of
Laâyoune. This prison warder is at present held in solitary
confinement. The inquest revealed that three prisoners helped him
commit his crime. They declared that they had only cooperated with
him from fear of future revenge if they refused to comply.
A committee of the general prison management was dispatched by the
Moroccan ministry of justice to the civil prison of Laâyoune.
The director of the prison was discharged from his duties following
this affair.
The autopsy carried out on 30 November last by the head of the
national centre of forensic medicine established that the death of
Mohamed Boucetta was caused by blows and injuries received
(meningeal haemorrage ie in the membrane around the brain, burst
right kidney, ...), corresponding to acts of torture and physical
cruelty by a third person. (corr. and Autopsy Report EC20/2002,
prof S.Louahlia)
11.12.02
Appointments
Mohamed Rharrabi has been appointed wali of the region of
Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra and governor of the province
of Laâyoune. According to the Moroccan press, Rharrabi is known
for his brilliant time in the Souss Massa where he initiated
large-scale projects for the tourist industry. He attended the
opening of projects on the Founty and launched the famous Marina. A
communications man, Rharrabi also reactivated numerous projects while
in Tetouan such as the reorganisation of road traffic. He replaces
Abdellatif Guerraoui.
Mohamed Tricha, former governor director general of Moroccan TV,
replaces Mohamed Machichi as wali of the Oued Eddahab Lagouira region
and governor of the Oued Eddahab province. Abdelkrim Bezzâa
replaces Abdelghani Sebbar in the post of governor of the province of
Smara.
REFERENDUM
09.12.02
Netherlands
After a meeting with the Dutch Foundation for Self-Determination in
Western Sahara, the Liberal party D'66 reaffirmed its firm attachment
to the inalienable right of the Saharawi people to
self-determination. The party decided to take concrete steps at party
level, and also at the level of the national parliament and European
parliament and to strengthen cooperation with the
Foundation.
09.12.02
Spain-Russia
The Spanish minister of foreign affairs, Ana Palacio and her Russian
counterpart Igor Ivanov declared, on the occasion of the Russian
minister's visit to Madrid, that the two countries share the same
position concerning the future of Western Sahara, in the sense that
the UN should seek "a solution which takes account of the interests
of all the parties involved."
REFERENDUM NOW- Action Campaign for the Implementation of the Peace Plan
12.12.02
Australia
The
Australia Western Sahara Association (AWSA) sent letters to
SG
ofi Annan,
James
Baker
and Thabo
M'Beki
as President of
the African Union.
12.12.02
Basque country
With a view to the next meeting of the Security Council on Western
Sahara, the Basque Parliament unanimously approved an "institutional
declaration", in which it reiterates its solidarity with the just
struggle of the Saharawi people, reaffirms their right to
self-determination, begs the United Nations urgently to implement
this right, asks the European Union for a greater involvement in the
implementation of the peace plan, denounces the illegal occupation of
Western Sahara by Morocco and the systematic attacks on human rights,
demands the release of all Saharawi political prisoners, asks the
Spanish government to maintain its position in favour of a political
solution acceptable to the Saharawi people, and finally calls for
humanitarian aid for the Saharawi refugees. (Declaración
Spanish)
MOROCCO
09.12.02
"On the question of the Western Sahara, the United States remains
committed, as we have been for many years, to peaceful resolution of
the problem. We are fully aware of its complexity and of the
difficulty of resolving it but we do believe that there ought to be a
peaceful resolution which takes into account the interests and
concerns of all the parties and towards that end we remain strongly
supportive of the efforts of Mr. James Baker, the special envoy of
the UN Secretary general."
Reacting to the news release of the official Moroccan press agency
(MAP), which interpreted the declaration of Burns as support for the
framework agreement, Mr Khaddad, Saharawi coordinator with the UN,
underlined that since the adoption of the UN settlement plan for
Western Sahara in 1991, the USA "have always upheld the efforts of
the United Nations with a view to finding a just solution to the
conflict" and have voted in favour of the last resolution of the
Security Council S/1429/2002 of July last.
10.12.02
Morocco
Omar Azzimane, present minister of Justice was appointed by the King
president of the CCDH (Consultative Council of Human Rights), while
Driss Benzekri, former president of the Forum of Truth and Justice
(FVJ), becomes its general secretary. This appointment will not be
enough to change the position of the FVJ in regard to the Council,
the present president, Mohamed Sebbar said at As-Sabah, claiming that
the regulation itself of the CCDH will limit its efficacity and the
outcome could be very modest.
11.12.02
Spain-Morocco
The Moroccan minister of Foreign Affairs met in Madrid his Spanish
counterpart to draw up "an inventory of all the points of contention"
between the two countries. The only concrete result of these talks is
that the two ministers will create working groups on precise subjects
and will meet again in Rabat at the beginning of next
year.
INTERNET
RADIO
Poemario por un Sahara libre:
- Radio Resistencia 101 FM, Sabados de 19 a 20 horas
- Radio Guiniguada Canarias, 105.9 FM, Miercoles de 10 a 11 horas
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