original french

• SADR
• OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
• REFERENDUM
• MOROCCO
• SOLIDARITY
• INTERNET
• NEW PUBLICATIONS

SADR

24.01.03
Algeria-SADR
Algerian and Saharawi parliamentary groups of fraternity and friendship met the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Algerian National Popular Assembly (parliament). The talks were about bilateral relations and collaboration. Their attachment to principles of decolonisation and self-determination were re-affirmed.

OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
News from inside the prisons

28.01.03
As-Sabah, a Moroccan daily, published a letter from Bazaid Salek, in which he tells of his abduction on 24 September last in El Ayoun (see week 39/2002). Bazaid finally appeared before the court of appeal on 22.01, which delayed his trial until 2 or 12 March.

29.01.03
The Saharawi political detainee Ahmed Bachir Ahmed Sbai, arrested on 1.10.02 appeared before the judge. His trial was postponed until 19 February.

30.01.03
Last week an official delegation visited the political prisoner Ali Salem Tamek in the penitentiary of Salé. They assured him there would be improvement in his prison conditions. The Moroccan Arab-language daily "An-Nahar" had published a detailed report from Tamek on prison conditions in Inezegane prison where he passed his first days of detention.

Tamek started a 48-hour hunger strike to demand the right to receive visits on Saturday and public holidays. A Spanish lawyer and a journalist were not authorised to visit him. Action committees for the release of Tamek and all political detainees were created in Assa and Boujdour (see week 01/2003), they can be contacted by email: comiteaction@caramail.com

The same day, Tamek was attacked twice by a common law prisoner, a drug trafficker, who tried to strike him, once with a metal bar and another time with a knife, shouting "The Sahara is Moroccan, Long live Mohamed VI". Thanks to the intervention of his fellow-detainees, Tamek was not hurt. He sent a letter of protest to the King's chief justice at the court of appeal in Rabat, asking for assurance of his safety in prison. The president of the Forum for Truth and Justice, Maitre Essabar Mohamed, paid Tamek a visit to inform himself about the incident.

31.01.03
According to the daily "As-Sabah", the prison management of El Ayoun civil prison, following the five-day hunger strike by Saharawi political detainees, took their demands into consideration. It claimed the political prisoners would be lodged in a separate cell away from the common law prisoners. The alteration work is in progress to make this cell, but risks being interrupted through lack of finance.

REFERENDUM

25-27.01.03
Algeria-Spain
A Spanish delegation led by Carmelo Ramirez, president of the Federation of Spanish institutions in solidarity with the Saharawi people (FEDISSAH), comprising senators, members of parliament, local councillors and members of civil society, travelled to Algiers. After a meeting with the Algerian Committee of solidarity with the Saharawi people, discussing their cooperation of support for the Saharawi people, the creation of an Algerian-Spanish foundation of solidarity with the Saharawi people was announced. Its general meeting is due to take place next July in Madrid. It will work for respect for the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination in accordance with international law.

28.01.03
Colloquium in Paris
A meeting and debate in the premises of the French National Assembly brought together a large audience around the theme "Western Sahara, a question of unresolved decolonisation, what is at stake?" (See statement french and SPS)

30.01.03
Resolution of the Security Council, S/RES/1429,
"The Security Council decides to extend the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) until 31 March 2003 in order to give the parties time to consider the proposal presented to them by the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General, and requests the Secretary-General to provide a report on the situation by 17 March 2003" (english HTML - PDF)

30.01.034
British Parliament
The Early Day Motion [That this House expresses its profound regret that the Saharawi people are still waiting to exercise their right to self-determination, 27 years after Morocco's illegal occupation of the Western Sahara; .....] laid down in the British parliament last December, now has 94 signatures. This type of motion, which does not oblige the government to respond but which reflects concerns of MPs, rarely collects a hundred signatures on topics in foreign affairs.

MOROCCO

27.01.03
Saharawi students at the University of Rabat organised a march in the university residences of Rabat and successive sit-ins outside the Ministries of Human Rights and the Interior. A highly placed official in the latter ministry received a delegation of students and promised an "incisive" response for next Wednesday 5 February.

30.01.03
Morocco-Spain
After fifteen months of crisis, Morocco and Spain are renewing their diplomatic relations and announce the return of their ambassadors. The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ana Palacio, had an audience with King Mohamed VI of Morocco.

SOLIDARITY

26-27.01.03
World Civil Forum in Porto Alegre
A workshop entitled "Western Sahara: over a century of struggle against imperialism", in its conclusions condemned the attitude of the Moroccan government of preventing the holding of a referendum of self-determination, of exploiting natural resources, and of implementing a strategy of repression and systematic human rights abuses in the occupied territories. It also asked international organisations to guarantee a dignified life to the refugee population in the camps at Tindouf and finally asked the Brazilian government to recognised SADR. (Report spanish )

INTERNET

OPINION

• Canarios recalcitrantes y Marruecos: más de lo mismo, Sergio Ramírez Galindo, ULPGC, Manuel de Paz Sanchez, ULL, Ricardo Aguasca Colomo, ULPGC, Miembros de la Universidad Canaria.
• MAP: News You Can't Use or Trust, Malainin S. Nayem

NEW PUBLICATIONS
[External links to newspapers may not be valid after some days because the servers are restarted]

Français

Les dépêches, articles, etc, sont accessibles aux non-abonnés sur Sahara-Info, liste de courrier (français et espagnol): http://es.groups.yahoo.com/group/sahara-info/messages

• Sahara Info, bulletin de l'AARASD, Paris, No 120, oct.-déc. 2002, 16 p.
• La solution du conflit du Sahara occidental de nouveau dans l'impasse, AFP, 21.01.03.
• Sahara Occidental, Une fondation algéro-espagnole de soutien est née, Ahmed Mesbah, Le Quotidien d'Oran, 28.01.03.
• Pour la solidarité avec le peuple sahraoui, Mohamed Djadi, Le Soir d'Algérie, Alger, 28.01.03.
• Réchauffement avec Pretoria, Jeune Afrique / L'intelligent, Paris, 28.01.03.
• Débat à l'Assemblée nationale française, Députés français et européens pour le droit à l'autodétermination du peuple sahraoui, El Moudjahid, 29.01.03.
• Le Maroc et l'Espagne rétablissent leurs relations diplomatiques, rompues lors de l'affaire de l'îlot Persil, Martine Silber, Le Monde, Paris, 31.01.03.

English

English publications on Sahara Update mailinglist: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sahara-update/messages

• Newsletter December 2002, Western Sahara Campaign UK, Leeds, 6 p.
• Baker to have presented pro-Moroccan solution to Sahara conflict, afrol News, 18.01.03.
• Sahrawis feel stabbed by UN, afrol News, 22.01.03.
• A rocky relationship, Joshua Levitt in Madrid and Toby Shelley in London, Financial Times, London, 23.01.03.
• Western Sahara wins more time, Irwin Arieff, Reuters, 31.01.03.

Castellano

Todos los despachos, articulos de prensa, etc, son acessible por no-abonados en Sahara-Info, lista de correo (castellano y francés): <http://es.groups.yahoo.com/group/sahara-info/messages>

Revista de la prensa española de la semana: http://www.nodo50.org/fpolisario/Prensa.htm

Noticias de prensa, Recopilación semanal de todos los articulos de la prensa de España: http://www.nodo50.org/labarored/interpueblos/Sahara/

• Añoranza : imágenes del pueblo saharaui / poesías de Alí Salem Iselmu.[et al.] ; fotografías de Biel Calafat ; [presentación Mèrce Morató]. --Menorca, Illes Balears : Associació d'Amics i Amigues del Poble Sahraui(Barcelona : Alta Fulla), 2002 68 p. : fot.
• Sáhara Occidental, Baker puede haber presentado una solución pro marroquí al conflicto de Sáhara, afrol News, 20.01.03.
• Sáhara Occidental, Sáhara se siente apuñalada por la ONU, afrol News, 24.01.03
• Rabat recibe con todos los honores a una delegación de 40 empresarios españoles, Carla Fibla, La Vanguardia, Barcelona, 25.01.03.
• Representante asociación española apoya autodeterminación Sahara, EFE Argel, 26.01.03.
• Nació español y murió apátrida, Alejandra Ruiz-Hermosilla, La Razon, Madrid, 23.01.03.
• ¿73.497 nuevos ciudadanos españoles?, ibid.
• Mohamed VI recibe a Palacio dos horas después de su llegada a Agadir, Europa Press, 30.01.03.
• Mohamed VI decide reponer a su embajador en Madrid tras la reunión con Ana Palacio en Agadir, Libertad digital, 30.01.03.
• El regreso "inmediato" de los embajadores pone fin a la crisis diplomática entre Rabat y Madrid, Europa Press, 31.01.03.
• El Consejo prorroga la misión de la ONU en el Sahara,·Temen que el acercamiento entre Rabat y Madrid sea a costa del pueblo saharaui, "Naciones Unidas no quiere más problemas mientras dure lo de Irak", Jesús Garai, Asociación de Amigos de la RASD, J.M. Uribarri, Gara, 31.01.03.

Italiano

• Diario del Polisario, Jean Lamore, Colpo di fulmine edizioni, Verona, l'alfabeto urbano, Napoli, 0tt. 2002, 169 p.

Slovenian language

• Zakaj Saharci ze vec kot 27 let zivimo v izgnanstvu? Vprasajte ZN. - [An interview with Nadjat Hamdi, a Polisario representative in Austria] Ales Skornsek-Ples, Delo d.d. - priloga ONA, 28.1.2003

Norwegian language

• Fordrevet fra hjemlandet i 27 år ["Banished from her home country for 27 years"], Rune Christophersen, Bergens Tidende, 19.01.03. "You are always welcome to visit me in my home" said 89 years old Anguia Bakay, the mother of last year's winner of the rafto Prize when BT interviewed her in Bergen last autumn. We took the 89- year old desert woman at her word.
• Andebu eier 3.000 aksjer ["Andebu owns 3000 shares"], Sandefjords Blad, 22.01.03. Open letter to the mayor of Andebu municipality. "The contract is morally reprehensible when we see how Morocco has plundered Western Sahara over the last 27 years."
• Andebu kommune selger uetiske aksjer ["Andebu municipality sells unethical shares"], Norwegian Broadcasting Radio- Vestfold, 24.01.03. "Andebu municipality owned 3000 shares in a company which facilitates exploitation of oil in occupied Western Sahara. The municipality is now selling its shares.
• Andebu kommune selger aksjer i TGS-NOPEC av etiske grunner ["Andebu municipality sells shares in TGS for ethical reasons"], Erik Hagen, SAIH, 24.01.03.
• Kofi Annan skryter av Raftostiftelsen I ["Kofi Annan praises Rafto Foundation"], Åsmund Egeland, Bergens Tidende, 28.01.03. Last november the Rafto Foundation managed to get the freedom fighter Sidi Mohammed Daddach to Bergen. Now the foundation is praised by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.
• Unifor investerte penger i kritisert selskap ["Unifor invested money in critizised company"], Universitas, University of Oslo, 29.01.03.
• Skrevet 29.01.2003 kl. 08:03, Karmøy solgte omdiskuterte aksjer, Karmøy kommune solgte i går aksjene i seismikkselskapet TGS Nopec. Årsaken er at kommunen sist uke fikk vite at selskapet legger forholdene til rette for oljeutvinning utenfor kysten av Sahara. Tidligere har både Stavanger kommune og Stavanger Aftenblad solgt aksjene i samme selskap. Nå skal Karmøy kommune utarbeide et etisk regelverk for hvilke selskap kommunen kan eie aksjer i, melder NRK.

Danish language

• POLISARIO afviser FN-plan ["Polisario rejects UN plan"], Dagbladet Arbejderen, Copenhagen, Denmark, 24.01.03. "For 12 years Morocco has sabotaged the referendum effort- the UN is again ready to reward that sabotage"

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