|
NEWS |
original french
01.01.-10.01.2004
05.01.04
A national conference brought together, in the wilaya of Ausserd, the
Committee of External Relations, Saharawi representatives in Europe,
staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government and local
officials to discuss international humanitarian aid, international
solidarity and the program of annual holidays of Saharawi children
abroad. (SPS)
10.01.04
First session of the new National Council (Parliament) in the wilaya
of Ausserd, devoted to discussion of the annual program of the
government of Mr Abdelkader Taleb Oumar.
(SPS)
08-10.01.04
Moroccan Lobbying in Washington
The Moroccan Prime Minister Driss Jettou went to Washington on a
working visit during which he had talks with the American
Vice-President, Dick Cheney, President Bush's national security
adviser, Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Defense
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and the Deputy Secretary of State for North
Africa and the Middle East William Burns, as well as the
representative for external trade, Robert Zoellick.
Jettou took part in a forum organised by the Centre for Strategic and
International Studies (CSIS), where he reiterated Morocco's
attachment to a "peaceful, negotiated, consensual and lasting
solution to the "artificial conflict" of the Sahara, a solution which
would save the area from becoming "a fertile ground for
terrorism".
Coming out of the meeting with Powell, the American spokesperson
declared that "the question of the Sahara was also brought up, the
Western Sahara where we're all looking for the opportunity to make
progress towards resolving that dispute".
29.12.03
Spain
The death was announced of Jaime de Piniés, who was ambassador
of Spain at the UN for 30 years, where he played on several occasions
a determining role for the Saharawi people. He is also the author of
two important works: "La descolonización del Sáhara: un
tema sin concluir" (Espasa Calpe, Madrid, 1990, 240 p.), and "La
descolonización española en las Naciones Unidas :
Guinea Ecuatorial (Fernando Poo y Rio Muni), Ifni, Sahara Occidental
y Gibraltar y las Naciones Unidas" (Centro de Estudios
Políticos y Constitucionales, Madrid, 2001, 860 p.)
24.12.03
Goulimine - Saharawi unemployed
Work for the unemployed provided by National Self-Help in the region
consists of street cleaning, tree-planting etc. Saharawis feel
themselves discriminated against. To obtain such a job, you must
either originate from North Morocco, or bribe an official. The wali
of the region of Goulimine-Smara, Ali Kabiri, offered young Saharawis
without a job to join the army, a solution they refused. He then
decided not to give any more certificates of family responsibilities
which allow exemption from military service.
A group of these young Saharawis, called the "Group of the victims of
Ali Kabiri", have been demonstrating since 19 November outside the
Ministry of the Interior in Rabat. The suspended their action on 25
December following the intervention of the member of parliament for
Tata, who promised the delivery of exemption certificates from
military service for young Saharawis. In a letter to the king, the
group accused the wali of corruption, financial manipulation and
falsification of elections in favour of non-Saharawis.
07.01.04
Protest
Former Saharawi disappeared, who were in Moroccan prisons from 1976
to 1991, have formally denied the allegations of the Moroccan
Consultative Committee of Human Rights (CCDH), which claim they have
all been compensated. (SPS, communiqué de l'Association
Française d'Amitié et de Solidarité avec les
Peuple d'Afrique (AFASPACommuniqué AFASPA du 06.01.04
french)
07.01.04
Release
The King of Morocco, on the occasion of setting up the Committee
"Equity and Reconciliation", pardoned thirty-three people, including
the two murderers of Omar Benjelloun, symbolic figure of Moroccan
opposition, seven journalists including Ali Lmrabet, 12 Saharawi
political prisoners (including Ali
Salem Tamek,
Moussaoui
Dkhil
and Bazeid
Salek,
members of the former Forum for Truth and Justice Sahara branch,
>> see list
), as
well as Mohamed Rachid Chriî, vice-president of AMDH, seven
arms dealers and islamic terrorists.
If this gesture has been generally welcomed positively, human rights
organisations recalled that Morocco has still many cases of political
prisoners to deal with, including a dozen Saharawis. They point out,
on the other hand, that these releases are the result of battles
waged by the prisoners themselves, their families and human rights
organisations and activists in Morocco, Western Sahara, and on an
international level. Greeted as a step in the right direction, the
aim of this measure is to take the blot off Morocco's escutcheon so
far as human rights are concerned, to give some standing to the body
Equity and Reconciliation, strongly criticised for its limited
powers, and to give a good impression on an international level on
the eve of the Security Council discussion. >>
Triumph
for Human Rights Protesters in WS, Statement of the Australia Western
Sahara Association (AWSA)
and
>> special
page
with other comments and reactions.
07.01.04
"Equity et Reconciliation"
The body "Equity et Reconciliation", officially inaugurated by
Mohamed VI, aims to bring closure on past human rights abuses on the
basis of justice and equity. Within a time-frame of 9 months, which
could be extended if need be by a maximum of 3 months, the body will
proceed to a global evaluation of the settlement process of the
dossier of past human rights abuses; it will search for cases of
forced disappearance not already elucidated and determine the places
of burial of the victims of forced disappearance and arbitrary
detention, carefully side-stepping the question of impunity of the
guilty.
The FIDH, in partnership with the Monitoring Committee (Moroccan
Association of human rights AMDH, Forum of Truth and Justice FVJ and
Moroccan organisation of human rights OMDH) decided to put in place
as soon as possible an umbrella group to monitor and evaluate this
body.
[Other statements of position on the body "Equity and
Reconciliation", see week
48-49/2003,
Comité
préparatoire des
Sahraouis
victimes de la disparition forcée et de la détention
arbitraire rescapés des lieux marocains secrets de
détentions, Communiqué
de l'Association marocaine des droits humains relatif à
l'instance dite Equité et Réconciliation du 14 novembre
2003, Communiqué
de la famille du disparu marocain Omar El Ouassouli, 21 novembre 2003
,]
08.01.04
Welcome
The liberated Saharawi detainees were welcomed triumphally. In the
course of a meeting in El Ayoun in the courtyard of the house of one
of them, Salek Bazeid, Mrs Aminatou Haidar, former political
detainee paid tribute to "the courage and self-abnegation of these
valiant fighters for freedom". Several former detainees considered
that terror and repression "will in no way affect the determination
of the Saharawi people to pursue their struggle for
self-determination and independence".
Ali Salem Tamek was greeted on leaving prison by hundreds of people,
before taking part in a meeting organised on the university campus of
Agadir by Moroccan and Saharawi students. Commissioner Hariz El
Arbi, a well-known torturer, and the deputy governor of the Moroccan
administration in Western Sahara had exerted strong pressure on the
families of the released prisoners to prevent any public expression
of their joy. (SPS)
09.01.04
European Union
The European Commission approved a series of decisions in the domain
of humanitarian aid, including 5.14 million euros destined for the
Saharawi refugees.
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