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WEEKS 19-20 : 02.05.-15.05.2004 |
19.04.04
Football
The Saharawi minister for Culture and Sport, Mariam Hamada, sent a
letter to the International Federation for Football FIFA, in which
she questions whether Morocco is eligible or capable of organising a
football world cup.
Omulo Okoth, in The East African Standard, talks of a Moroccan
propaganda campaign aimed at tarnishing the reputation of South
Africa: security risks, terrorism, problems arising from health and
poverty (sic). Morocco had the advantage of important support
from various quarters and sent Prince Moulay Rachid to Zürich.
At the beginning of April King M6 decorated Sepp Blatter..., but all
to no avail. Morocco is not up to it.
04.05.04
The UGTSARIO (General Workers Union of Saguia el Hamra and Rio de
Oro) expresses its opinion on the position of Moroccan trades unions
on the confl
05.05.04
SADR
The Council of Ministers adopted the draft laws governing commerce in
the refugee camps, as well as laws governing the role of lawyers in
the three judiciary bodies of the Republic.
(SPS)
01.05.04
Statement
Responding to a question on France's position, President Mohamed
Abdelaziz considers that "France is more royalist than the king. By
giving diplomatic cover to Rabat's pretensions, France has obliged
Morocco to submit itself to international law. I deplore the position
of France, which is a great power". Concerning a possible meeting
with Mr Zapatero, Mohamed Abdelaziz replies that "as it happens
contact is being made at the moment at the level of the two foreign
ministers and the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE). We will
probably meet." (L'Expression, Alger)
Mohamed Abdelaziz adds, a few days later in the Madrid daily ABC,
that it would be desirable for Spain to draw France into its wake and
for the two countries to commit themselves to the defence of
international law. "It would be a monumental muddle to fall into the
same mistakes that they have been blamed for in the Iraq crisis. In
the Saharawi case, the peace plan doesn't require any coalitions or
military deployment."
Position of
the new Spanish government
The position of Spain on the question of Western Sahara, following
the change in government and the arrival of the Socialist Party to
power, remains ambiguous. Three Spanish political parties,
Izquierda Verde (Green Left) IU-ICV, Eusko Alkartasuna EA
and the Popular Party PP at the end of April 2004 asked the
government to clarify its position on Western Sahara and to support
the Baker plan.
"Spain is 'satisfied' with the latest resolution of the UN Security
Council, the head of Spanish diplomacy, Miguel Angel Moratinos,
declared in Algiers on 3 May. He affirmed that 'Algeria and Spain
have always been among those who defended the right to
self-determination for the Saharawi people'." "Spain, he added,
supported the resolution completely including all the elements of the
Baker plan, and pronounces itself in favour of a political agreement
between the parties". (agencies)
In an interview for Jeune Afrique/L'intelligent, he underlines
that "the time has come to resolve once and for all [the conflict
in Western Sahara]. It has gone on too long. It is time to give
the Saharawis a "new situation". For me, the refugee camps, whether
in Palestine or Tindouf, should be on the conscience of all
societies. We are in a new context. Obviously, there is the United
Nations which we mustn't forget. The Baker plan is our "point of
reference". The right to self-determination of the Saharawi people
must remain a "basic" element. But we must also encourage "bilateral"
efforts.
05.05.04
"Four-way Conference ?"
To divert the will of the United Nations, France (or Spain? or the
two together?) would envisage a conference bringing together Morocco,
Algeria, Spain and France, to find a way out of the Saharawi
conflict. Algeria, through the voice of its foreign minister,
Mr. Abdelaziz Belkhadem, spelt out a firm and categorical
refusal to any diplomatic move which attempted to set aside the peace
plan drawn up by James Baker and endorsed by the UN. "It is yet
another failure of French diplomacy, which wants at any price to
annex the Saharawi territories to Morocco", Mr Sidati (Saharawi
minister for Europe) pointed out.
09.05.04
Questioned on his reaction to the words of the head of the Spanish
government Zapatero, who spoke of respecting the rights of all the
parties in the conflict, Mr Khaddad, Saharawi Coordinator with
MINURSO, replied, in an interview with the Spanish daily El Pais,
that this is not the kind of declaration one would hope to be hearing
from a socialist government, adding that "the only party which has
rights, is the Saharawi people. Morocco has no rights."
10.05.04
In an interview with ABC, the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs,
Miguel Angel Moratinos, expressed the view that Western Sahara is an
essential element in the relations between Spain and Morocco and the
whole of the Maghreb. To clarify the position of his government, he
explained that Madrid would like to try to conciliate absolute
respect for the decisions of the United Nations and a political,
consensual agreement between the parties. Such a bilateral political
agreement would not be an alternative to the UN plan, but a
complement. Recognising that Spanish policy had changed, he affirmed
that his government wanted in the first place to reach a solution, a
solution which refers to the United Nations and the defence of the
right to self-determination of the Saharawi people. For that, it is
necessary that the United States, France and Spain should speak with
the same voice. "We have initiated with our French colleagues a
thought process to find a solution which would satisfy all the
principal actors. It would be up to Morocco and the Polisario Front
to decide if they accept it or not and to determine their room to
manoeuvre."
13.05.04
Diplomacy
The American Under-Secretary of State charged with the Near East,
Wiliam Burns, in Algiers and in Rabat on the question of the Sahara
that "the United-States are not looking to impose any solution on the
different parties". They "encourage the Algerian and Moroccan leaders
to meet and set themselves to work on building a great Maghreb, with
better cooperation and even greater understanding", and to "work
together with the personal envoy of the Secretary General of the
United Nations, M. James Baker, in search of a political solution,
which is in everyone's interests." (agencies)
14.05.04
Confidence-building measures
The second stage in the exchange visits between the refugee camps and
Dakhla ended on 7 May. Some 219 persons benefited from this second
stage, 242 others had benefited from the first stage between El Ayoun
and the camps. After a week's gap, Morocco not having authorised the
UNHCR to begin registration of Saharawi families in time, the third
stage began in Smara on 14 May. (UNHCR
News Stories)
12.05.04
Report on prisons
"In the prison of Al Hoceima, overpopulation is of the order of 640%,
in Beni Mellal prison, it stands at 442%, in Laayoune the percentage
is 407% while in the prison of Berrechid, the surplus detainees
represent 320%, and in the civil prison of Kenitra, prison
overcrowding is around 270%. ( Le
Matin.ma)
30.04.04
Death under torture
A 30 year old Saharawi, Chouihi Slimane, living in Tighmert near
Goulimine, died following torture suffered in the Centre of the Royal
Gendarmerie in Goulimine. Following a complaint of a hunting rifle
which had disappeared, the police entered the home of Slimane,
beating the mother and brothers and sisters of the deceased, who was
looking after his herd. Slimane then presented himself on 29 April at
the Goulimine police station, where he was tortured then transported,
dying to hospital, where he is thought to have died on arrival. After
a first autopsy on the spot, which concluded a natural death, a large
popular demonstration took place on 1 May outside the Prefecture,
demanding an inquiry. A second autopsy was carried out in Casablanca,
which revealed fractures and a cerebral haemorrhage. On 7 May another
demonstration brought together 600 people outside the Gendarmerie.
The family refused to bury the victim before the truth was known and
the guilty singled out.
A third autopsy conducted in Rabat confirmed the conclusions of the
preceding one, and the family recovered the body in Rabat on 14
May.
Following an inquiry by the public prosecutor in Rabat, the
commandant of the judicial police in Goulimine and his deputy and an
"executive" were "struck from the ranks" of the police force. They
were accused of brutality leading to death. The commanding officer of
the region and the company commander were relieved of their functions
for negligence. (AFP) >> more
information and media coverage
Reminder of
the regional context:
The region of Tighmert, the largest oasis in Oued Noun whose
agricultural lands are in use by the Saharawis, possesses underground
water whose size has only become known recently. This region attracts
big Moroccan agri-businesses, which are creating a conflict with the
local people. Incidents were already taking place in September 2003.
(see weeks
40-44/2003)
03.05.04
Comité de jumelage Gonfreville l'Orcher
Une délégation de 14 personnes, composée
d'élus conduits par Jean-Paul Lecoq et de membres du
Comité de Jumelage de Gonfreville l'Orcher s'est rendue dans
le camp de réfugiés sahraouis de J'Réfia, du 17
au 23 avril 2004, pour célébrer le 10ème
anniversaire de la signature du jumelage entre les deux
villes.
Pais vasco
04.05.04 a las 19,30 se inaugura en la Sala de Exposiciones situada
en el Polideportivo de Soraluze (Gipuzkoa) una exposición
fotográfica de Jose Luis Irigoien sobre los campamentos
saharauis de refugiados. Cualquier importe producto de la venta de
las fotografías será entregado integramente al
representante en Euskadi de la RASD. Está exposición
puede ser solicitada a su autor quien la cede gratuitamente para el
fin previsto: ayuda a los refugiados saharauis. Anteriormente ha
estado expuesta en Bilbao, Gasteiz, Oyarzun, Zaldibar, Eibar. Consta
de 80 fotografías en blanco y negro, emulsión de plata,
papel baritado, viradas al selenio, de tamaño de imagen 30 x
40 cm y montadas en passpartout de 40 x 50 cm. email:
jlirigoien@euskalnet.net
,
tfno: 943206637
09.05.04
El documental Sahara Marathon, del realizador oñatiarra Aitor
Arregi ha sido seleccionado para participar en la I edición
del Festival Internacional de Documentales de la Ciudad de Madrid
(Documenta Madrid 2004) y en la 19 edición del Festival de
Munich que se celebrará próximamente.
(Diario
Vasco)
10.05.04
Dos producciones españolas (Extranjeras, de Helena Taberna, y
Sahara Marathon, de Jon Garaño y Aitor Arregi) han obtenido
sendos galardones en el III Encuentro Hispanoamericano de
Vídeo Documental Independiente de México, que se ha
celebrado entre el 23 y 30 de abril. (...) Por su parte, Sahara
Marathon, de Jon Garaño y Aitor Arregi, ha obtenido uno de los
galardones honoríficos del festival: el premio "Vitral", que
otorga el Movimiento Nacional de Vídeo de
Cuba.(Cinered)
Italie
I Sestesi per i Saharawi
In occasione del XXXI anniversario della fondazione del Fronte
POLISARIO Giovedì 20 maggio 2004, Ore 20.00 CENA di
solidarietà con proiezione del film girato durante il volo di
gennaio 2004 c/o il Circolo Arci La Costituzione Via Gramsci
560.Prezzo 20 euro
New
Zealand
Kamal Fadel, POLISARIO representative, speak on the conflict in
Western Sahara:Wellington: Thursday May 27, 1pm @ Victoria
University, Rm 304 Cotton Building.
Christchurch: Thursday May 27, 7:30pm @ Peeto, Cnr Peterborugh &
Madras St.
Lincoln Friday May 28, 12.40pm @ Totara Room, Union Building, Lincoln
University.
Auckland Monday May 31, 7.30pm @ St Columba Centre, 40 Vermont St,
Ponsonby.
National tour information: annalucia@chn.quik.co.nz
Toledo: "Hablemos del Sahara, rompamos el bloqueo informativo", 2ª Conferencia Internacional sobre la Informacion en el Sahara Occidental, Toledo 28, 29 y 30 Mayo 2004. Info: Coordinadora Estatal de Asociaciones de Solidaridad con el Sahara sahara-coord.estatal@wanadoo.es >>Web-site
OPINION
NEW
PUBLICATIONS
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Français
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NOUVEAU
LIVRE
Sahara occidental, La controverse devant les Nations unies, Laurent
Pointier, Karthala, 2004, 226 p.
English
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Castellano
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