|
WEEKLY NEWS |
original french
14.-21.12.2002
- DIALOGUE
- SADR
- REFERENDUM
- MOROCCO
- ALGERIA
- HUMANITARIAN AID
- INTERNET
- NEW PUBLICATIONS
DIALOGUE
13.12.02
Limoges
Following the publication of the work of Fadel Ismaïl "Lettre
à mon frère Marocain" (Letter to my Moroccan brother),
the Limoges branch of the organisation called Convergence of Moroccan
Democrats Abroad organised a meeting of young Moroccan democrats and
Saharawis with three guest speakers:
Annick Miské, historian and keen pro-Saharawi activist,
Abdeslam Omar Lahcen, president of AFAPREDESA, and Mohamed
Habiballah, official representative of the Polisario Front in France.
Habiballah said that he was there to offer his hand to Moroccan men
and women to continue the dialogue in a calm atmosphere in order to
find a good way out of the situation which is tearing apart not only
Saharawis and Moroccans, but above all the people of the Maghreb as a
whole. The three talks were followed by a fruitful debate in a calm
and serene setting. (corr. and AFAPREDESA press release french)
The full text of the booklet in French
is now available on internet (PDF file).
SADR
15.12.02
Fishing
The President of the Saharawi Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz, on a visit
to Germany, proposed that Saharawi territorial waters should be
opened to fishing by the whole Spanish fleet "without exception", and
that the revenue from such contracts should be "paid into a special
account managed by the United Nations pending the end of the
decolonisation process which is in progress". The King of Morocco has
just suggested that the ship owners of Galicia might come and fish in
the Saharawi territorial waters. (SPS)
In solidarity with the Galician fishermen, 200 members of the
Saharawi support association of Galicia including Saharawis will
participate to the clean up actions of the oil spilled
coast.
16-19.12.02
Germany
Mohamed Abdelaziz in the Bundestag in Berlin met spokespeople for the
Socialist Party (SPD), the Greens, as well as the Christian Democrat
Union (CDU) and Liberal Party (FDP). He was received by the president
of the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) and talked with the chair
of the committee on cooperation, the chair of the sub-committee of
the United Nations and the chair of the human rights committee and
that of humanitarian aid, as well as the Secretary of State of the
Ministry of Economy of Berlin, Hans Strauch. The presidential
delegation also met members of the Saharawi community in Germany,
particularly those living in Berlin and its surrounding area, as well
as representatives of the Foundation Friedrich Ebert. The head of
state has still to visit the region of Hesse, where his visit of more
than a week to Germany will end.
REFERENDUM
05.12.02
British Parliament - Early
Day Motion 298
Jeremy Corbyn and 44 co-signatories are asking the House of Commons
to express their concern about human rights abuses in occupied
Western Sahara and about the severe shortfall in food aid to the
Saharawi refugees. They of holding the long-delayed referendum and
restoring stability to the area.
14.12.02
Spain
The Saharawi Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mohamed Salem Ould Salek,
called on Spain to invest more in the decolonisation of the territory
it abandoned to its fate at the hand of Moroccan invading troops in
1975. In the lecture which he gave during a Cultural Week in Huercal,
organised in Almeria, the minister declared further that "the EU
should support a democratic opening in the Maghreb."
(SPS)
17.12.02
Strasbourg
The parliamentary intergroup "Peace for the Saharawi people" met
under the presidency of the German MEP, Mrs Margot Kessler. After an
analysis of the development of the political and humanitarian
situation, discussion took place on planning activities at European
level for the first term of the coming year. The intergroup decided
to contact the humanitarian agency, ECHO, in view of the urgent need
for food aid for the refugees, and to denounce on the international
level the violations of human rights in the occupied territories of
Western Sahara.
20.12.02
The Autonomous Parlament of the Canarian Islands renewed in an
oficial declaration "its solidarity with the just struggle of the
Saharawi people for freedom and peace".
MOROCCO
19.12.02
Military cooperation
Belgium and Morocco have signed an agreement for military cooperation
for the training of Belgian cadet officers in the Moroccan military
camp of Ouarzazat. In a letter (french
) to Belgian minister of Defense, Flahaux, the president of the
European coordination of support for the Saharawi people, Pierre
Galand, questions whether, given the Moroccan military engagement in
Western Sahara and Moroccan blockage of the peace plan, Belgium is
behaving in conformity with its own rules on conflict prevention and
with its support for the United Nations peace plan for Western
Sahara. He wonders further, whether it is well-judged, to re-launch
or reinforce Belgian-Moroccan military cooperation given the
proximity of Ouarzazat to Algeria and the Saharawi refugee camps on
the one hand, and on the other the widespread movement against human
rights abuses by the Moroccan army and harsh treatments, and personal
enrichment of high ranking officers in this same army. Earlier, in
March of this year Galand denounced Belgian involvement in the
training of Moroccan pilots, something which was denied by the
Belgian minister. (see week
10
and 13+14
2002)
ALGERIA
16.12.02
France-Algeria
The Algerian minister of communication and culture, speaking for the
government, declared in Algiers that "Algeria has no problem with
Morocco, a friendly, brother country, and because of this has no need
for any sort of mediation". Mrs Toumi was responding to a question
relating to speculations in the press making an issue of possible
mediation by the French minister of foreign affairs, Mr Dominique de
Villepin, between Algeria and Morocco. The French minister was
expected on the 16th in Algiers for a two-day official visit with the
purpose of improving Algerian-French relations.
HUMANITARIAN AID
USA
The NGO Christian Aid is to transport by boat next January food aid
worth US$ 400,000 for Saharawi refugees, in collaboration with GAIN
(Global Aid Network).
INTERNET
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