original french

• REFERENDUM
• OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
• HUMAN RIGHTS
• HUMANITARIAN AID
• SOLIDARITY
• COMING UP
• INTERNET
• NEW PUBLICATIONS

SADR

20-21.03.03
International conference on Western Sahara conflict

An international conference on the conflict in Western Sahara opened in Rome, on the theme "Analysis of the conflict of Western Sahara, a possible dialogue?" sponsored by three Italian universities, Rome, Naples and Perugia. Saharawi, Moroccan, Italian, European, Algerian, Mauritanian, Libyan, French, Spanish, Greek, Portuguese and Vatican members of parliament will take part in the discussions. (SPS)

REFERENDUM

19.03.03
Letter from the Secretary General to the President of the Security Council (S/2003/341, PDF - HTML )
«To date, not all the parties have provided their views on the proposal of my Personal Envoy. In order to allow additional time for all the parties and neighbouring countries to submit their replies to my Personal Envoy, and to give him sufficient time to assess the parties' responses to his proposal, I propose to defer the submission of my report to the Security Council until 19 May 2003. I should also like to propose that the Council consider authorizing a technical extension of the mandate of MINURSO for a further period of two months, until 31 May 2003.»

The Security Council has scheduled consultations on Western Sahara on Tuesday, March 25 .

OCCUPIED TERRITORIES

Following the appearance of leaflets and SADR flags in all the Saharawi towns and those of southern Morocco since 27.02.03, Saharawi former political detainees were summoned in Tan-Tan by the police and submitted to interrogation. Their houses were searched.

19.03.03
Trial - scandalous judgment
Ahmed Bachir Ahmed Sbai, arrested on 2.10.02, was sentenced on 19.03.03 to 10 years imprisonment for the same charges as Salek Bazaid, Moussamih and Bourhil on 12.03.03 (see week 11 ).

HUMAN RIGHTS

15.03.03
Hunger strike
Because of his deteriorating state of health and pulmonary complications (asthma and pneumonia), Tamek was transferred as an emergency to the prison hospital. On 19.03.03 he was taken to Avicenna hospital. He is refusing any treatment or force feeding. Tamek undertook this strike because of the silence of the authorities concerning his demands. An international campaign was launched by BIRDHSO and AMDH intervened with the Ministry of Justice. (Urgent action of BIRDHSO: Save the Life of Ali Salem Tamek - Press release of the Collective of the Saharawi Human Rights defenders "Territory of Western Sahara under Moroccan Control")

On 21.03.03 Ali Salem Tamek ended his hunger strike, he was taken back to Salé prison.
His demands were satisfied.
Prison management has agreed to:

• see that the acts of intimidation he was being subjected to by guards and fellow detainees stop,
• open an enquiry in collaboration with the judicial police into the attack he suffered on 31 January last,
• authorise the visit of doctors of his choice in collaboration with the Forum for Truth and Justice,
• authorise visits from foreign personalities, in coordination with the Forum for Truth and Justice and on condition that a request is made beforehand,
• study the possibility of authorising visits on public holidays and Saturdays provided a request and the list of visitors is given beforehand.

19.03.03
Rabat: Caravan of solidarity and human rights
Saharawi students had planned to organise three days of solidarity with saharawi political prisoners (see week 11). This demonstration was forbidden by the authorities. As a sign of protest, a protest march was held inside the campus.

HUMANITARIAN AID

Germany has allocated 250,000 euros to the UN High Commission for Refugees, for the purpose of humanitarian aid for the refugees of Western Sahara. In 2002, Berlin gave 335,000 euros for this purpose.

INTERNET

• Referéndum virtual para la independencia del Sahara Occidental. A.A.P.Saharaui Valle de Laciana
• Appel de Thaoura la fille de Tamek.
• Dramático llamamento de Taura Tamek
• Cry of little Thaoura Tamek

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

• Alger répond à Baker, Ghania Oukazi, Le Quotidien d'Oran, 16.03.03.
• La porte-parole du gouvernement à propos du Sahara occidental « Il n'y aura pas de solution négociée avec le Maroc », Nadir Benseba, Le Matin, Alger, 16.03.03.
• Le Sahara Occidental vit une phrase critique et décisive, Le pressing de Mohammed VI, Mohamed Abdoun, L'Expression, Alger, 16.03.03.
• Volte-face de Khaled Nezzar, Cherif Ouazani, Jeune Afrique/L'Intelligent, No 2201, 16.03.03.
• Bavardages, conspiration et parole officielle, Ali Magdache, Le Soir d'Algérie, Alger, 18.03.03.
• Sahara occidental, La roulette algérienne, Abderrahmane Mahmoudi, Les Débats, Alger, 19.03.03.
• Berlin verse 250.000 euros d'aide humanitaire pour le Sahara occidental, AFP, 20.03.03.
• Spécial Laayoune.[9 articles sur le développement économique des territoires occupés], L'Economiste, Maroc, 21.03.03.

English

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

• UN Africa truce begins to crumble, Paul Hanna/Reuters, Ian Mather, diplomatic correspondent, Reuters, 16.03.03.
• Algeria's Position Toward Western Sahara is "Clear and Firm", Reaffirmed Mrs. Toumi, Algérie Presse Service, 16.03.03.
• TGS-NOPEC Update on Activity in Western Sahara, press release, Naersnes, Norway, 18.03.03

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

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

• Urnas por el pueblo saharahui, Los aragoneses podrán manifestar desde hoy su apoyo a la autodeterminación del Sáhara mediante un referéndum no vinculante apoyado por las Cortes autonómicas, J. M. Perez Bernad, El Periodico de Aragon, 19.03.03.
• ONU-SAHARA: Annan recomienda una prórroga técnica de la Misión en Sahara Naciones Unidas, EFE, 20.03.03.

Norwegian

• Spør om Vest-Sahara ["Questions about Western Sahara"], Adresseavisa, Trondheim, 11 March 2003 ["City Councillor Knut Fagerbakke (Socialist Left) addressed questions to the mayor regarding ethical guidelines for the handling of the municipal pension fund"]
• Sett pensjonspengene våre i banken ["Put our pensions in the bank"], Adresseavisen, Trondheim, 12.03.03 ["Blood money: If Trondheim‚s municipal pension fund has made money through its investment in this company [TGS], we think they have to give this money to the liberation movement in Western Sahara. We will not accept anything else. This is blood money and we will not accept that the pension fund supports occupation forces. [Svein Olav Aarlott, secretary of Norwegian Union of Municipal Employees, section Trondheim]
• Uetisk av TGS-NOPEC ["Unethical by TGS- Nopec"], Utropia- the Tromsø student weekly, 13.3.03 ["Signe Aanby, chairwoman of SAIH, thinks it is unethical of the Norwegian seismic company TGS-NOPEC to work on behalf of Morocco off the cost of Western Sahara. [...] „It is unethical and undignified to support an illegal occupation this way. When, in addition, they don‚t inform their shareholders about such projects it becomes very bad."]
• Svartelister ikke TGS-aksjen ["Will not blacklist TGS shares"], Aftenposten, 19.03.03 ["The seismic company TGS- Nopec admits it should have looked more into the matter before starting operations in the occupied Western Sahara. After several weeks of considerations, Storebrand has concluded that the shares should not be branded as „unethical"]
• Storebrand svartelister ikke TGS Nopec ["Storebrand will not blacklist TGS Nopec"], Stocklink, 19.03.03 ["The Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara has been pressuring Storebrand to blacklist TGS because of the company‚s project in the occupied country. The Support Committee finds it problematic that Norwegian companies are making money there, and also Norwegian public officials have made critical statements regarding TGS‚ project"]
• For more info. please contact the Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara: wsahara@online.no

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