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Résumé October 2007 WEEKS 40 - 44 : 01.10. - 31.10.2007 |
17-25.10.07,
visit of the Saharawi President to Italy
The Saharawi President Mohamed Abdelaziz met the Vice-President of the
Italian government and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Massimo
D'Alema, who welcomed the “responsible position” of the Polisario Front
towards arriving at a peaceful solution to the conflict in Western
Sahara. [statement
from the FA ministry in Italian] [photo
officielle]
Abdelaziz also met the President of the Parliament Fausto Bertinotti,
the Vice-President of the Senate and the presidents of various
political parties.
The Moroccan government summoned the Italian Ambassador in Rabat to
protest. Abdelaziz had been presented on the ministry’s agenda as the
“President of SADR”.[L’Occidentale]
24.10.07
Ariano Irpino, Campania
The Saharawi President attended the proceedings of a conference on
human rights abuses in Western Sahara, which concluded with the setting
up of a “Permanent Watch on the human rights situation in the Saharawi
occupied territories”.
[Irpinia
News]
25.10.07, Naples
During a reception organised in his honour by the Mayor of Naples, Rosa
Iervolino Russo, the Saharawi President declared that “the negotiations
will not yield results unless pressure is put on Morocco”. [agenzia]
27-28.10.07,
SADR-Senegal
The Saharawi Minister for Occupied Territories, Khalil Sidi Mhamed,
attended the congress of the Socialist Party of Senegal on the
invitation of its first secretary, Ousmane Tanor Dieng. Speaking during
the opening session, Khalil paid tribute to “the unfailing support of
the PSS to the struggle of the Saharawi people for their
self-determination and independence”. [SPS]
30.10.07
The Spanish Popular Party asked the government to open a branch of the
Cervantes Institute in Western Sahara “occupied by Morocco” and another
in the Saharawi refugee camps.
OCCUPIED
TERRITORIES AND SOUTH MOROCCO
Repression,
intimidation
12.10.07
The provincial director of Agriculture in El Ayoun, the employer of the
Saharawi activist, Djimi Elghalia, vice-president of ASVDH, refused to
grant her permission to leave the territory. Elghalia was planning
meetings with Frontline in Ireland and Amnesty International in France
from 15 October. [Declaration
of ASVDH]
Founding meeting
of CODESA banned
The founding meeting of CODESA, arranged for 7 October, was not
authorised by the Moroccan authorities. CODESA protested in a statement
written to the president of the European Parliament and to the UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights. Other Saharawi associations in the
occupied territories acted likewise.
The Saharawi authorities denounced “this denial of human rights and
democracy”.
Mohamed Sidati, Minister delegate for Europe, spoke to the European
Union and the European Parliamentary intergroup, “Peace for the
Saharawi people” published a statement. European member of parliament,
Meyer Pleite raised the question in the parliament. [español] [special page]
Arrests
Arrests are targeting especially young demonstrators, the time limits
for custody are practically never respected and the practice of torture
is usual.[Testimony]
Seven young Saharawis were arrested and charged with having burned a
police car: Omar Khnibila, Mohamed Boutabaa, Abdessalam Loumadi, Bachri
Mohamed Ahmed Hamdi, Hassan Dah, Nafaai Sah, Abdallah Elboussati. The
last five were on hunger strike since 24 October to protest against
their conditions of detention. [more...]
Trial
08.10.07, El-Ayoun
The secretary general of ASVDH, Brahim Sabbar, Ahmed Sbai, member of
the coordinating council and three other Saharawi political detainees
were acquitted of the charge of causing offense to the magistrate.[communiqué]
Amnesty international defended the human rights defenders. [English]
Mrs France Weyl attended a trial as a judiciary observer for the
International Association of Democrat Lawyers and the French
Association of Soldarity of the Right. She attended the trial as a
judicial observer from the International Association of Democrat
Lawyers and the French Association of Law-Solidarity. She spoke to the
president of the tribunal to denounce the way the hearing was
conducted. [letter]
Awareness-raising campaigns
Several Saharawi human rights defenders travelled to Europe during the
month of October. Hmad Hamad on a lecture tour of Aragon, Navarra,
Vitoria, Seville and Cordoba. Brahim Dahane and Brahim Noumria
testified in Italy. The student, Rabab Amidane, sister of the political
detainee Elouali Amidane, spoke in Madrid. [résumé in Spanish of Rabab’s activities in Spain]
Soultana Khaya, the student who lost an eye during an intervention by
the Moroccan police, underwent two surgical operations in Barcelona and
the implantation of a prothesis.
Solidar, an alliance of 60 NGOs from 20 European countries, on the
16th, at a ceremony in the European Parliament in Brussels, gave the
Silver Rose 2007 prize to Aminatou Haidar. The prize was awarded in the
international category “Struggle for freedom and human dignity”. [more...] [Appeal of Aminatou
Haidar]
Death
04.10.07, Suspect death
A Saharawi citizen from Boujdour, Sidiya Moulay Brahim, known for
his independence ideas, was found dead last week in his car at the
gates of the town. A member of the Moroccan special services had been
seen in his company only a few hours before his death. [SPS]
18.10.07
Chaibani Elbambari, born in 1964, died due to poor health following his
forced disappearance from 1988 to 1991.
30.10.07
Commemoration in the occupied territories and in southern Morocco of
the second anniversary of the death of Hamdi Lembarki, assassinated by
the Moroccan police at the end of a demonstration supporting
self-determination of the Saharawi people, on 29 October 2005 in El
Ayoun. [archive]
17.10.07, fishing
Four fishing villages, Agti El Ghazi, Tarouma, Amégriou,
Aftiesset, are at present under construction in Western Sahara,
financed by the Agency for promotion and development of the southern
regions, the Hassan II fund, the Ministry of Maritime Fishing and the
National Office of Fisheries.
23.10.07, phosphate, uranium
The industrial group for nuclear energy, AREVA and the Office
Chérifien des Phosphates (OCP) signed an agreement of
cooperation to develop the extraction of uranium from phosphate. The
reserves of uranium which can be recuperated from Moroccan phosphate
are close to 6 million tonnes, or twice the known global resources of
deposits of uranium. [agency]
25.10.07, oil
The Saharawi official body for oil announces for January 2008 the
opening of a second round of bids for oil exploration licences. These
licences will offer three onshore blocks and six offshore. [details]
28.10.07, nuclear
France will turn Morocco nuclear and soon Libya and Algeria, by
equipping them with nuclear power stations.[El
Pais]
FOURTH COMMITTEE
of the UN General Assembly (committee for special political questions
and decolonization)
The question of Western Sahara occupied debates in the Committee, which
heard a large number of petitioners, the majority in favour of the
right to self-determination of the Saharawi people. On 15 October the
draft resolution was accepted without a vote. This reaffirmed the right
of the Saharawi people to self-determination and supports the process
of negotiations started in recent months. Morocco, faced with this will
to maintain the question of Western Sahara within the context of
decolonization, decided not to request a vote. [special page 4th Committee FR, EN, ESP] [Draft Resolution A/c.4/62/L3]
[A/c.4/62/L3 arabic]
19.10.07, report of the Secretary General on Western Sahara S/2007/619
The report covers the period from April to October 2007 and begins with
a summary of two Moroccan-Saharawi meetings, which Ban Ki-moon refuses
to call negotiations. He points out that the two proposals for settling
the conflict, that of Morocco (autonomy) and that of the Polisario
Front (referendum and economic guarantees), are on the agenda and must
be discussed. The Secretary General pays much attention to the military
aspects, pointing out violations of the cease-fire and the problem of
landmines. He announced new confidence-building measures. A seminar
will take place in November in Madeira on “the culture, habits and
customs of the hassaniya speakers”, in which Saharawis from both sides
of the wall will participate [last
minute: Seminar
was canceled by Morocco] He also touches on attacks on
the human rights of Saharawis in both Morocco and Western Sahara. In
his recommendations, Ban asks both parties “to engage in real
negotiations”. He reaffirms that the UN “remains resolute in making
international norms for human rights respected”. Finally, he asks the
Council to extend MINURSO’s mandate until 30 April 2008.
24.10.07, Third Committee of the General Assembly
The report of the 2006 mission to Western Sahara of the High Commission
of Human Rights was brought up at the Third Committee of the UN General
Assembly. [extract of the
statement]
25.10.07, African Union
The African Parliament adopted a recommendation of its committee for
cooperation, foreign affairs and conflict resolution concerning the
decolonisation of Western Sahara. [La Tribune]
25.10.07, United Kingdom
In reply to a parliamentary question, the Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs, Jim Murphy, said that the status of Western Sahara was
undetermined and that the United Kingdom supports the UN’s efforts
towards finding a solution providing for self-determination. [original
english]
31.10.07, Security Council Resolution S/2007/1783
The first draft of the resolution, drawn up by the United States and
France, “welcomes the serious and credible efforts of Morocco to
advance the process towards its resolution”. The South African
representative denounced this attempt to support Morocco instead of
encouraging the two parties to negotiate. [DPA]
Finally, the resolution adopted is practically identical to the former
(1754). The Council insists that “the parties show real political
will...to engage in negotiations in depth and thus to ensure the
implementation of resolution 1754 (2007) as well as the success of the
negotiations”. The Secretary General must make a report on the
negotiations before 31 January 2008. The mandate of MINURSO is extended
for 6 months.
The Polisario Front welcomed the adoption of the resolution but
regretted that “the Security Council had not explicitly exhorted the
occupying power to fulfil its obligations in international humanitarian
law”.
The last resolution of the Security Council (1783) on the Sahara
treated the Moroccan autonomy proposal in a “positive and
distinguished” manner, underlined the Moroccan Minister of
Communications government spokesman, Khalid Naciri.
12.10.07, king’s
speech before parliament
“The preservation of unanimity around our territorial integrity
constitutes the first of the vital causes of our homeland and nation,
from which the necessity to pursue efforts to mobilise more support in
favour of the audacious and credible initiative which we have launched
on autonomy”. [text]
13.10.07
“The words of the King are of a nature to hinder the efforts deployed
by the UN, and aim, one couldn’t be clearer, to go against the mission
of the Secretary General and his personal envoy” in searching for a
political solution to the conflict in Western Sahara, the Saharawi
President, Mohamed Abdelaziz, declared.
15.10.07
The new Moroccan government is finally constituted, Abbas El Fassi is
Prime Minister and Taib Fassi Fihri the new Minister for Foreign
Affairs.
22-24.10.07 Visit of the French President to Morocco
Ten French organisations write to Sarkozy before his departure to draw
his attention to the problem of Western Sahara and to attacks on human
rights. [letter]
In a speech before the Moroccan parliament, Sarkozy declares “I express
the hope that the Moroccan autonomy plan – which he calls serious and
credible – might serve as the basis for negotiation in the search for a
reasonable settlement. France will be at your side.” [English]
23.10.07
The Saharawi government considers that the declarations of the French
President in Rabat, are “serious and inopportune”, adding that this
alignment with the Moroccan position is the source of the “failure” of
the efforts of the international community trying to resolve the
conflict in Western Sahara.
Mhamed Khadad, a member of the National Secretariat of the Polisario
Front, considered in a press statement, that the support of the French
President for the Moroccan autonomy plan is “a clear stance in favour
of the Moroccan colonial position” adding that “this shows
unfortunately that, despite the generational change (of ruler in
France), it still takes the [French] colonialist viewpoint”. [SPS]
30.10.07
Hervé Morin, French Defence Minister, on the subject of the
failure to sell Rafale jets to Morocco (see September 07) : “This was
not only a question of price. It became so as soon as the Americans
arrived. The deal should have been signed and sealed before April 2007.
But Washington put all its political weight, notably by modifying its
position on Western Sahara and by giving 700 million dollars to the
King’s foundation”. [Le
Point]
30.10.07
The Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon opens an enquiry into the presumed
crimes of genocide and torture by Moroccan officials between 1976 and
1987 in Western Sahara in “a complex action, systematically organised
against Saharawi persons”. Baltasar Garzon considered a complaint
lodged in September 2006 could be heard. [more...]
Food aid
The WFP office in Algiers welcomed on 5 October the Spanish
contribution of 2.7 million dollars towards the Saharawi refugees, for
the purchase of 3.412 tonnes of flour and 300 tonnes of lentils, which
will arrive in Algiers in two weeks and will satisfy the needs for 2
months. [Reliefweb]
Le 17.10.07, the WFP affirmed that the delay in transporting the food
aid “is due to the unforeseen suspension of the purchase transaction,
at a local level, of the products required.” It expressed the hope that
the first delivery will arrive in Algiers at the beginning of November.
In a statement (19.10.07), the Saharawi Red Crescent deplored that
“because of the failure of the WFP to meet its obligations, over
158,000 Saharawi refugees have not obtained their daily bread since the
beginning of October”.
This new food crisis is caused by the absence of stocks of food
products. The stores which had been supplied by ECHO until October 2006
have not been restored. The SRC pointed out further that the WFP
devotes 36% of donations to administrative and logistical costs. [SPS]
16.10.07, appeal of the UNHCR
The UNHCR warned that the funds available for the confidence-building
measures (family visits) will not suffice beyond the end of November,
donors having provided only half the 3.5 million dollars necessary. [statement]
05-07.10.07
Brahim Dahane, president of ASVDH, Abdeslam Omar Lahsen, president of
AFAPREDESA, and Metou Moustafa Hnini, of the National Union of Saharawi
Women took part in the 7th UN Assembly of Peoples in Perugia and the
peace march from Perugia to Assisi.
07.10.07, France, Platorme of Solidarity with the Saharawi People
Over thirty delegates and officials from committees and associations
making up the platform of solidarity with the Saharawi people met in
Andernos to draw up a program of activities for the summer and the
outlook for the year 2008.
14.10.07
The British caravan of humanitarian aid “Rainbow 2007” (Rainbow Rovers)
left the United Kingdom for the Saharawi refugee camps via France,
Spain and Algeria.
17.10.07
Exhibition of the Saharawi painter, Fadel Jalifa entitled “Saharawi
resistance and culture” in Toluca in Mexico. [photos]
19-21.10.07,
33rd EUCOCO, Rome
the 33rd conference of support for the Saharawi people was preceded by
a Parliamentary Meeting of Soldarity with the Saharawi people, which
brought together Italian parliamentarians and their counterparts from
the whole world on the initiative of the Italian parliamentary
intergroup. Official delegations from regional Spanish parliaments from
the Canaries, Aragon, Cantabria and the region of Valencia also took
part.
The Conference assembled over 400 delegates from 21 countries of Europe
(Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy,
Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland), of Africa (Algeria,
Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, SADR, Senegal, South Africa) and Latin
America (Mexico, Uruguay) as well as a delegation from the occupied
territories.
The delegates met in workshops on topics such as “Political Action and
information”, “Human Rights, Humanitarian aid and cooperation”,
“Natural resources” and “Youth”, etc. A final declaration was also
adopted. The next conference will take place in Valencia.[further details] [Radio] [Video]
Members of the Saharawi delegation to the conference were received
afterwards in various regions and towns of Italy, new twinning
agreements of solidarity were concluded (Castelnuovo in Emilia-Romagna,
Bosaro in Veneto, Crespina and the Comunita Montana del Mugello in
Tuscany, etc.).
The Secretary General of the National Union of Saharawi Women, Fatma
Mehdi, participated in International Meeting of women in struggle in
Rome, organised on the initiative of the Argentinian Association
“Mothers of the Square of May”. Later she was a guest in Bologna.
Another women’s delegation took part in a conference in Reggio
Calabria. [more]
Sandblast Arts
Festival : http://www.sandblast-arts.org/web/festival/index.htm
05. - 07.11.07
SAHARA OCIDENTAL -Debate Nacional e apresentação do Livro
«International Law and the Question of Western Sahara»
Coimbra, Braga,
Porto, Lisboa.
07.11.07, Londres
Western Sahara - Time for Action. Réunion au parlement
britannique sous
la présidence de Jeremy Corbyn, interventions de Khadidja
Hamdi, de
l'Union nationale des femmes sahraouies et directrice du centre
d'information "La martyre Al-Naadja", Aminetou Haidar, militante
sahraouie des droits de l'homme et ancienne prisonnière
d'opinion et
Makaela Wallinder de "Landmine Action".
Madrid, sábado 10 de noviembre 2007
MARCHA POR LA INDEPENDENCIA DEL PUEBLO SAHARAUI
Salida desde ATOCHA a las 12hrs. hasta la Plaza Mayor
Contra la tortura y la violación de los Derechos Humanos en el
Sáhara
NO MÁS ABANDONOS Y ENGAÑOS ¡ EVITEMOS LA GUERRA !
Infos: http://sahararesiste.blogspot.com/2007/10/marcha-por-la-independencia-del-pueblo_25.html
09.11.07-13.01.08, Bonn
Exposition de photographies de Boris Becker organisée par le
HCR “Fuite silencieuse, Un peuple oublié au Sahara”.
Infos: http://www.bundeskunsthalle.de
24.11.07 Colloque scientifique et rencontre-débat -
Université de Paris X Nanterre
Sahara Occidental, mutations géopolitiques, droits de l'homme et
autodétermination.
Organisation: L'Association Universitaire de Coopération
Internationale
(AUCI) de l'Université Paris X, le Comité pour le Respect
des Libertés
et des Droits Humains au Sahara Occidental (CORELSO) et la Revue
«
L'Ouest Saharien ».
http://www.auciparis10.org
s'adresser à Ali Omar Yara
tél. 0673049373 courriel yara.gis[at]free.fr et Renaud Frossard tél.0130274541
courriel renaudfrossard[at]aol.com
14.12.07 - TIFARITTI
XII Congrès du Front POLISARIO
XIIth Congress of the POLISARIO Front
XII Congreso del Frente POLISARIO
Nouveaux
sites/blog - new sites/blog - nuevos sitios/blog
Freedom in the
World 2007, Freedom House
Western Sahara [Morocco] (2007): http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=22&country=7320&year=2007
Morocco (2007): http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=22&country=7235&year=2007
EVERYONE'S GUIDE TO BY-PASSING INTERNET CENSORSHIP FOR CITIZENS
WORLDWIDE
A CIVISEC PROJECT The Citizen Lab The University of Toronto
September, 2007
http://deibert.citizenlab.org/Circ_guide.pdf
"Transparent
Elections": Countries do not need to be rich to treat women fairly,
23.10.2007 http://www.demaz.org/cgi-bin/e-cms/vis/vis.pl?s=001&p=0056&n=001249&g
=
According to the
Social Watch study, the gender gap persists in all countries and the
general trend is either very slow progress or no progress at all
towards equality between women and men. [...] The 10 countries with the
worst GEI performance are Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Morocco (all with
a score of 42)
CORELSO.INFO, No
7, sept.-octobre 2007, Organe du Comité pour le respect des
libertés et
des droits humains au Sahara Occidental: http://arso.org/CORELSO-INFO.htm
Best of blogs
Blogger cracked pro-Moroccan propaganda campaign, Støttekomiteen
for Vest-Sahara.: http://www.vest-sahara.no/index.php?parse_news=single&cat=49&art=645
See the whole story on Will’s blog: http://onehumportwo.blogspot.com/search/label/Together%20Foundation
Video
Interview de Djimi El-Ghalia la vice-présidente de l'Association
sahraouie des victimes de violations commises par l'Etat marocain par
N. Quartano de l'Observatoire International des droits humains, 2007: http://goufia.blogspot.com/2007/10/repression-de-letat-marocain-au-sahara.html
Assignation de
noms de domaine - Domain Names Registration
ICANN renonce à prendre une décision quant à
l’attribution du domaine .eh réservé au Sahara
Occidental. [Voir résumé
août]
ICANN refuses to attribute the TLD .eh, assigned to Western Sahara, to
the SADR government. [report
of meeting]
OPINIONS: http://opinions.arso.org
NEW
PUBLICATIONS
[External
links to newspapers may not be valid after some days because the
servers are restarted]
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English
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>> Todos los
despachos, articulos de prensa, etc, son acessible por no-abonados en
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