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WEEKS 45 - 46 : 05.11.- 18.11.2006 |
04.11.06, Vitoria, Basque Country
The President of the Saharawi Republic was received in the Basque
Parliament by the President of the Parliament, Mrs Izaskun Bilbao.
He also met with representatives of European parliamentary
intergroups taking part in the 32nd conference of coordination and
support for the Saharawi people. [SPS]
04-07.11.06, African Union
A delegation of the AU Committee for Refugees, led by its president,
John E. Aggrey, carried out an official visit of the Saharawi refugee
camps. “The cause of the Saharawi people is a cause for all Africans”,
declared John E. Aggrey, Ambassador for Ghana in Ethiopia and with the
AU. [SPS]
06-07.11.06, Socialist Internationale
On the occasion of the meeting in Santiago in Chile, several presidents
and party leaders expressed in a statement their support for the
self-determination of the Saharawi people and displayed their concern
at the “serious and systematic” human rights abuses in the occupied
territories of Western Sahara. [SPS]
Inter-Parliamentary Union
SADR obtained the status of an observer with the IPU with a view to its forthcoming summit in 2007 in South Africa.
1-3.11.06 UGTSARIO, the Saharawi General Workers’ Union, became a full
and permanent member of the new international trades union
federation, ITUC-CSI.
5-8.11.06, Perth, Australia, conference of oil experts
The SADR participated in the International Conference and exhibition of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) attended by over 2000 states and oil companies, which took place in Perth -Australia on 5-8 November 2006.
The Polisario representative to Australia delivered a presentation at the International Pavilion about SADR’s recent oil and gas licensing round. .
The Moroccan regime attempted to prevent SADR from exhibiting at the International conference but failed.
10.11.06, rally
The stage from Smara-Zouerate of the first Transafrican Classic, a 4x4
car rally from Paris to Dakar, was cancelled, the organisers having not
asked for permission for passage through from the Saharawi authorities.
[Press statement from the Polisario Front Representation in France, 09.11.06]
12-22.11.06, Non-violence
On the initiative of SweFOR, the Swedish branch of the International
Movement for Reconciliation (IFOR) a meeting bringing together sixteen
African and Latin American NGOs, was held in the refugee camps on the
theme of the non-violent resolution of conflicts. [Al Khabar, Algiers, 12.11.06 , english] [La Tribune, 13.11.06] [Gabinete de Prensa Embajada RASD en Argelia, 12.11.06] [+ arabic]
13.11.06, diplomacy
Mhamed Khaddad, Saharawi coordinator with MINURSO, was received in
Nouakchott by Colonel Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, President of the Military
Council for Justice and Democracy. On 18 November in Praia, in Cap
Verde, he met with the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Domingos
Mascarenhas.
14.11.06. Chile
Parliamentarians asked the President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, to recognise the Saharawi Republic. [La Nación, Chili, 14.11.06]
16.11.06, African Union
El Hadj Diao Kanté, president on the Permanent Commission of
International Relations, Cooperation and Conflict resolution of the
Panafrican Parliament (PAP), presented a draft resolution on Western
Sahara during the 6th session of the PAP, in Midrand, in South Africa.
The resolution recommends that the Panafrican Parliament proposes to
the UA to make the Security Council implement its own resolutions which
it has adopted” to settle the crisis in Western Sahara. [SPS]
OCCUPIED
TERRITORIES AND SOUTH MOROCCO
02-04.11.06, demonstrations and arrests
On the occasion of the anniversary of the Green March, several
demonstrations took place in El Ayoun, Smara and Tan-Tan. Seven people
were arrested in El Ayoun and three in Tan-Tan.
08.11.06
Three people were arrested in El Ayoun, accused of trafficking arms
from Mauritania. Two guns were seized as well as cartridges. The
Saharawi government denied “in a formal and categorical manner” any
part in this affair.
14.11.06
The Moroccan authorities are reported to have intercepted three people
trying to bring large quantities of arms and munitions from Algeria
into the region of Mhamid El-Ghizlane, not far from Assa.
10.11.06, encouragement to emigration
The Spanish daily El Mundo confirmed that the Moroccan authorities put
pressure on young Saharawis to make them emigrate to Spain. The paper
quotes the example of a youth, “detained and tortured by the Moroccan
police for having demonstrated in favour of independence of the
Saharawi people”. He affirms that he became the object of pressure by
the Moroccan police wanting him to emigrate to the Canary Islands. “The
deputy governor of El Ayoun decides who can or can’t leave. Then the
traffickers get in touch with the interested party and pass over money
to help him to emigrate”, the witness says, adding that the would-be
emigrants receive “precise instructions” from the Moroccan police about
the part of the Saharawi coast which is not watched. [El Mundo, 10.11.06]
11.11.06, El-Ayoun
New appeal of Saharawi political prisoners incarcerated in the Black
Prison, who denounce the human rights abuses committed against them and
ask for the intervention of Moroccan and international human rights
organisations.
15.11.06, Aminatou Haidar is back
The Saharawi human rights activist, at the end of her tour of Europe,
the USA and South Africa, arrived by plane in El Ayoun, where she was
welcomed by her family and dozens of activists. Hundreds of people were
waiting at her home, while demonstrations of joy broke out in several
quarters. [ABC, 16.11.06] [traduction non officielle ]
20.11.06, hunger strike
Thirteen Saharawi political prisoners from the Moroccan prisons in
Inzegan, Tiznit, Kénitra and Ait Melloul started an unlimited
hunger strike, to protest against the refusal of the Moroccan
penitentiary authorities to consider them as political prisoners and to
respect their rights. They demand this grouping in the prison of
Aït Melloul and separation from common law prisoners, an inquiry
into the bad treatment undergone by Lasseiri Salek, Saleh Amidan, Benga
Cheikh and El Ouali Amidan, as well as the assassination attempt on
Lehmam Salama. [SPS]
Trial
01.11.06, Agadir
Two Saharawi political detainees, El-Jadi Lahoucine and Lafkir
Lahoucine, appeared before the court of appeal. Lafkir was sentenced to
3 years in prison, El-Jadi was sentenced on 16 November to two years in
prison.
08.11.06, El-Ayoun
Choubida Laroussi was given a sentence of 18 months in prison. He had
refused Moroccan nationality. His family denounced the sentencing and
expressed their unconditional solidarity with all the Saharawi
political prisoners.
13.11.06, El-Ayoun
Two Saharawi political prisoners, Sabbar Brahim, secretary general of
ASVDH, and Sbai Ahmed, a member of the council of coordination of
ASVDH, appeared before the instructing magistrate.
06.11.06, China
Receiving his Moroccan counterpart in Beijing, the Chinese Prime
Minister, Wen Jibao declared: China hopes the Western Sahara
issue can be properly resolved through dialogue and consultation within
the framework of the United Nations, and China is willing to play an
active role towards this objective, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said in
Beijing. Wen made the remarks when meeting Moroccan Prime Minister
Driss Jettou. [agencies]
06.11.06, anniversary of the Green March
In his traditional speech on the occasion of the anniversary of the
Green March, the King of Morocco brandished the threat of instability
and terrorism should a Saharawi state be established. He announced that
CORCAS would submit a proposal for autonomy in the coming weeks.
Mohamed VI also wishes to avoid “calamitous risks of balkanisation and
instability which would be engendered by the setting up of an
artificial entity [in Western Sahara]. This redoubtable hypothesis
would transform the region into a slimy quagmire, a refuge for
terrorist bands and a den for criminals engaged in people trafficking
and arms smuggling.” [agencies]
Replying to this speech, the Saharawi Minister for Occupied
Territories, El-Khalil Sid M'hamed affirmed that an independent
Saharawi state, the result of a free, fair and transparent referendum
would constitute “the best means of safeguarding security, peace and
stability in the region as it would be the democratic solution in
accordance with the UN Charter". [SPS]
For his part, the Algerian President, Abdelaziz Bouteflika affirmed in
Beijing where he was on a state visit, that a referendum of
self-determination of the Saharawi people is “inevitable”. [agencies]
The Saharawi head of state affirmed on the Algerian radio airwaves,
that “the implementation of international law, in terms of
decolonisation and respect for human rights, has never been the start
of the development of terrorism”, pointing out that “Morocco’s fait
accompli against Western Sahara could however, engender terrorism and
extremism”. [14.11.06]
11.11.06
In reply to a declaration from the Moroccan minister for communication,
Nabil Ben Abdallah, for whom autonomy is “a form of civilised
self-determination”, the Saharawi government declared in a statement,
that autonomy “in reality is only a vain attempt to confiscate a
sacred and inalienable international right”, which is the right of the
Saharawi people to self-determination and independence. [Full text, SPS]
13.11.06
Saharawi students at the University of Marrakech organised a sit-in
inside their campus to denounce the tripartite agreement of Madrid.
[SPS]
17.11.06, EU-Morocco
On the occasion of the fifth session of the Morocco –European Union
Committee of Association, one learns that Morocco has become the
largest beneficiary in the Mediterranean region of the financial
program of the European Union with over 250 million euros granted in
2006.
10.11.06
“The absence of any response to the reasonable and just claims of the
Saharawi people and its representatives and the silence observed in the
face of initiatives undertaken by social sectors and political actions
carried out since the start of the legislature cause this question to
become a black mark on the external policy implemented by the
government”, underlined Izquierda unida (United Left, the third
political power in Spain) in a statement. Izquierda unida deplored the
“scandalous role” of the Spanish representation during the vote in
October in the Decolonization Committee of the General Assembly of the
United Nations. [SPS]
05.11.06
The Saharawi Red Crescent (CRS) launched a new “urgent” appeal to the
international community after the “complete” break in the security
stock of basic foodstuffs of the Saharawi refugees. The CRS declared
that it “could not assure the minimum of food needs to the Saharawi
refugees during the month of November”. On 24 October, eight NGOs
operating in the refugee camps had likewise drawn attention to the
situation, as had WFP on the 26th of the same month. [SPS]
11.11.06
The departing executive director of the World Food Program (WFP), James
Morris, carried out a working visit to the refugee camps. The
international community should not forget the critical situation of
thousands of Saharawi refugees in Algeria, who depend entirely on
international aid, he said. He paid homage to the Algerian government
which supports them, but insisted on the necessity of greater
international aid. [SPS] [UN News, 13.11.06]
For his part, the Saharawi president launched “an urgent appeal to the
WFP, as well as all international and regional humanitarian
organisations”.
[SPS, full text of the speech given by the SADR head of state]
In a statement on Algerian national radio, the Saharawi president
deplored that France and Morocco should use the food situation of the
Saharawi refugees “as a bargaining chip”.
[14.11.06]. [presse algérienne: L'Expression 12.11.06 , L'Expression 13.11.06 /a , L'Expression 13.11.06/b]
16.11.06, urgent appeal
Five MEPs sent a letter to the director of ECHO, the EU’s office for
humanitarian aid, to make them aware of the risk of famine in the
Saharawi camps. [Letter to Antonio Cavaco, General Director of ECHO, Humanitarian Aid department of the European Union, 16.11.06]
03-05.11.06, EUCOCO Vitoria ( continued)
The 32nd European Conference of Coordination and support to the
Saharawi people (EUCOCO) completed its proceedings by the
adoption of a final declaration.
Several documents giving the conclusions of workshops concerning
political action and social mobilisation, civil resistance in the
occupied territories, cooperation in the fields of health, education,
food aid and non-food aid, international law, equality of women and
youth were drawn up. For the first time two practical working groups
were devoted, one to the organisation of the welcome for the Saharawi
children, the other to the evaluation and management of cooperation
projects.
The documents are available in Spanish on the EUCOCO 2006 site , translations into other languages are in progress.
It should be pointed out further that the Mauritanian Union of the
Forces of Progress (UFP) was represented by its first vice-president
Mr. Ba Boubakar Moussa [speech French]
while the Moroccan party ''Annahj Addimocrati'' (The Democratic Way)
reiterated in a message addressed to the conference, its support for
the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination and condemned
the human rights abuses in Western Sahara. [in Arabic]
11.11.06, demonstration
Several thousand demonstrators marched in Madrid to call for the
decolonization of Western Sahara, self-determination and independence
for the Saharawi people and to denounce the Madrid Accords or
Tripartite Agreement made in 1975. The Secretary General of the Spanish
United Left, the PP and the PSOE took part in the march.
[agencies] [fotos I] [fotos II] [fotos III]
13-24.11.06,
Exposición de fotografías y paneles
titulada:"Sáhara Occidental, soñando con el reencuentro"
en el Centro Cívico, Avda. Los Guindos s/n, Malaga.
Asociación Andaluza por la Solidaridad y la Paz (ASPA):
aspa.malaga@nodo50.org
22.11.06 Le président du Conseil des ministres italien, Romano
Prodi, effectuera une visite au Maroc, accompagné de son
ministre du Commerce international, Emma Bonino. [voir lettre de la Coordination des associations solidaires d'Emilie Romagne et du BIRDHSO]
30.11.-01.12.06, Abuja, Nigeria. First South America-Africa Summit to Advance South-South Cooperation.
29.12.06-03.01.07, Amanecer del 2007 "Sahara en el corazón - fin
de año con los Saharauis - un encuentro solidario por la paz y
la amistad en el desierto"
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