|
Résumé January WEEKS 01 - 04 : 01.01. - 31.01.2008 |
10.01.08,
SADR-Norway
A resolution adopted by the Executive Board of the Norwegian Centre
Party demands the recognition of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.
The Centre Party is one of 3 parties in the Norwegian Government. In
April 2007, one of the other 3 government coalition parties, the
Socialist Left Party, also made the same demands.(news 23-24/2007).[Unofficial
translation by the Norwegian Support
Committee for Western Sahara] [norsk]
21.01.08, SADR-Chile
Prominent Chileans demand the recognition of SADR by their government. [más]
22.01.08, oil
SADR announces that the second offer for exploration bids for oil will
be launched in Houston, Texas, USA on 5 February 2008. The offer
comprises three blocks on-shore and six off -shore. [Press release] [El
Moudjahid, 22 janvier 2008]
24.01.08, appeal
The Saharawi minister for Culture Khadidja Hamdi asks the Director
General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, to support the development
of the education system in the Saharawi refugee camps and the liberated
zones, as well as to promote and preserve the cultural and historical
Saharawi heritage. [SPS]
28.01.08, SADR-Mauritania
The Special Envoy of the Saharawi President, El Khalil Sidi M'Hamed, is
given an audience in Nouakchott by the President of the Islamic
Republic of Mauritania, Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi. [SPS]
Destruction of archeological sites
Following the warning by scientists of destruction of archeological
remains by members of MINURSO in the liberated territories of Western
Sahara (see news December 2007), the Saharawi minister for Culture
organised a conference in the camps with Saharawi and European
scientists, including Joaquim Soler Subils and Nick Brooks. [El
Observador, 04/01/08]
MINURSO recognises, in a statement dated 16 January, that “part of the
graffiti” are the work of members of UN military personnel. It reveals
that measures were taken in 2007 to put an end to any act of vandalism
and that an inquiry is in progress. [Press release, EN]
The British daily, The Times, which dealt with the subject in its
cultural section, reports that the Special Representative for Western
Sahara, Julian Harston, after having visited the site, apologised to
the Polisario Front and promised sanctions and reparations. The UN has
asked UNESCO to evaluate the damage. [more]
OCCUPIED
TERRITORIES AND SOUTH MOROCCO
Questionings
Arrest on 10.01.08, El-Ayoun of Mahmud Leboihi, minor, accused of
visiting pages of the internet relating to SADR, on 22 in Zak of a
member of CODESA, Ettalbi Brahim, on 28 in Dakhla of Khalihenna Oulad
Cheikh Beida, Saharawi human rights activist as well as two other young
Saharawis, Adnan Khattat et Cheikh Abdallahi.
Demonstrations
Seven Saharawi fishermen were injured on 7 January in the course of a
violent intervention by Moroccan police forces to disperse a
demonstration of fishermen claiming their right to carry out their
business on the beach of Loubouirdah, better known as "Tchica", in
Dakhla. The same day, dozens of Saharawi citizens demonstrated in
Mhamid El Ghizlan in solidarity with the victims of repression in the
occupied territories and in southern Morocco. A Saharawi student,
Ballagh Ali Salem, protested outside the Law faculty in the Hassan 1
University in Settat against the fact that he had not been admitted to
pursue his post-graduate studies.
Trial
14.01.08, Rabat
The trial of the Saharawi human rights activist, Saaid Moustapha El
Beillal took place in the absence of the accused. Four Saharawi lawyers
and five international observers were present. The sentence was made
public on 17 January, Beillal, was sentenced to eight months’ detention
for incitation to riot, armed assembly and attacking agents of the
public services during the exercise of their duties. The collective of
Saharawi students in Moroccan universities decided to pursue their
protest against this sentence. El Beillal, imprisoned in Salé,
fasted for 24 hours on 29 January to demand separation from common law
prisoners, the possibility of continuing his studies in political
science, to receive visits and medical care. [ASVDH,
EN] [AFAPREDESA, 15.01.08] [Rapporto
italiano] [idem avec traduction
française]
Protests
04.01.08, The Saharawi president sent a letter to the UN Secretary
General, Ban Ki-moon, to ask him to intervene in order to protect
Saharawi victims of the recent repression in Smara, El-Ayoun and
Boujdour.
28.01.08, The French branch of Amnesty International sent a letter to
the Moroccan Ministry of Justice to express its grave concern at the
restrictions imposed on the activities of human rights groups in
Western Sahara, in particular the Saharawi Association of Victims of
Serious Violations of Human Rights committed by the Moroccan state
(ASVDH), also the Collective of Saharawi Defenders of Human Rights
(CODESA) and asks for the immediate and unconditional release of
Brahim Sabbar.[campagne
et pétition]
04.01.08, Smara
– new common grave
Human remains were discovered near a military barracks constructed
after 1976 in the Elawda quarter, according to a statement by the
Committee for the Defence of Human Rights in Smara. The Committee and
ASVDH ask for an inquiry to establish the origin of the discovery. The
organisation,
Defend International Monitoring & Investigation Committee
supported the demand in a communication to the Moroccan government. [Statement, 15 January 2008]
Political asylum
Four members of a traditional Saharawi music group Al-Wahda of
El-Ayoun, on tour in Fuerteventura, asked Spain for political asylum on
23 January, at the end of their tour of the island at the invitation of
the association of Moroccan emigrants, Kabar...
<http://www.canarias24horas.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=44137&Itemid=387>http://www.canarias24horas.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=44137&Itemid=387
Another sign of the desire many Saharawis have for exile, following a
rumour, over 500 people took the Casa d’Espana by storm in El Ayoun on
16 January to lodge a request for naturalisation... [El
Pais]
Energy
In its half-yearly report for 2007, the cement multinational
Italcementi announces that its subsidiary in Western Sahara,, Industrie
Sakia el Hamra "Indusaha" S.A. has carried out preliminary work for the
construction of a 10 MW wind park in El-Ayoun. [report]
12.01.08, tourism
The director of the international fair "Travel Fair 2008" in Oslo asked
the Moroccan Office of Tourism, after an intervention by the Norwegian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, not to engage in promoting any tourism to
occupied Western Sahara. [Norsk] [EN]
17.01.08, tourism
Representatives of Western Sahara Resource Watch met the director of
the Canaries travel agency, Olimpia 2000 to ask it to stop its tourism
activities in occupied Western Sahara. [Informe, ES]
Fishing
11.12.07, Sweden
A liberal parliamentarian asked the Minister of Agriculture in a
written question to check how Morocco was implementing the EU fishing
agreement of 2006 on the territorial waters of Western Sahara. The
minister replied that he would send the question on to the EU.
[Skriftlig
fråga 2007/08:458, 11.12.07]
[Svar
på skriftlig fråga
2007/08:458, 19.12.07]
13.01.08, Russia
The Russian ship, Aleksandr Mironenko has been fishing off the coast of
Dakhla at least since mid-December 2007.
[see the position
of the vessel] like the
Kapitan Bogomolov in mid-January 2008. These two vessels belong to the
Murmansk Trawler Fleet, one of the biggest Russian fishing companies
controlled by the government.[see
the position of the vessel]
[report]
Phosphate
The Fortune Lady arrived in the USA on 17 December, shipping phosphate
from Western Sahara for the American-Canadian business, PCS Nitrogen.
The Furness Hartlepool arrived on 9 January in Fremantle, Australia,
the Triton Stork on 31 January in Lyttleton, New Zealand. Both ships
loaded with phosphate from Western Sahara. The cargo ship Sac Malaga of
the company Ership S.A., sailing under a Panama flag, arrived in the
port of Huelva on 5 January carrying 15,000 tonnes of phosphate from
Western Sahara for FMC Foret. At the beginning of January, WSRW sent a
second letter to this chemical product business, to point out the
illegality of the imports of phosphate coming from Western Sahara. [Carta
a FMC Foret / Ership] [Europa
Press, 15.01.08]
04.01.08, Indonesia
The Office chérifien des phosphates OCP signed an agreement with
four Indonesian companies specialising in the production of fertilisers
(Petrokimia, Pupuk-Kalimantan, Medco-Energy and Bosowa) for the
building of a plant to manufacture phosphoric acid in Morocco and
phosphate-based fertilisers in Indonesia.
30.01.08, lobbying
The Australia Western Sahara Association AWSA asked at an extraordinary
general meeting held in the town of Bendigo of the community bank,
Bendigo Bank, not to buy shares in companies which illegally import
phosphate from Western Sahara. The executive director replied that his
bank would consider the matter.
[Press release] [The
Advertiser, 30.01.08]
AWSA also welcomed, in a statement, the decision of the Swedish fund
Oehman to divest the Australian phosphate fertiliser company CSBP [press
release]
07-09.01.08,
Moroccan-Saharawi Meeting - Manhasset III
For the third time, the same Saharawi and Moroccan delegations met in
Manhasset in a suburb of New York. The Secretary General’s personal
envoy, Peter van Walsum, presided at the meetings, to which the media
were not admitted.
“We do not expect a breakthrough at this meeting. We are going ahead
with it...to discuss the details of the autonomy proposal”, a Moroccan
government official declared beforehand. “We hope that this time
Morocco...will engage in substantial negotiations”, had replied the
Polisario Front representative at the UN, Ahmed Boukhari. No advance
was achieved in the course of the three-day talks. In a final
statement, Peter van Walsum noted that “the parties continued to
express points of view showing significant differences.” The parties
nevertheless agreed to meet again at Manhasset from 11 to 13 March. The
Personal Envoy of the Secretary General is expected to visit the region
shortly for “consultations in depth” [Interventions,
media, etc. see special page]
07.01.08, appeal
The Human Rights NGO, Human Rights Watch launched an appeal to Morocco
to respect the freedom of expression in Western Sahara, a pre-requisite
for the negotiation of a solution respecting the will of the people. [Statement]
14.01.08,
clarifications
M'hamed Khaddad, a member of the Saharawi delegation, declared in an
interview that the discussion had bearing on “the implementation of
resolutions1754 and 1783, the end of which is self-determination. We
went more deeply into our proposal, which speaks of the referendum of
self-determination with three options: independence, autonomy and
integration. We spoke of the administration, which will have as a basis
a republican state, with multiple parties, democracy and the respect of
human rights, although for Morocco the only solution which they see as
valid is their plan. This is what is creating a blockage. There were
preliminary discussions on the confidence-building measures, which
could not be implemented, in particular the exchange of mail and
seminars. Morocco refused any discussion on confidence-building
measures proposed by the Personal Envoy, namely de-mining of the
territory, joint patrols of the two parties to control the cease-fire,
the exchange of high level delegations and the one we added : the
question of human rights.”
Concerning the reasons to continue with the negotiations, Khaddad
replied that there is an interest in the international community and
the Security Council and that the third round made possible a visit of
the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General to the region. He
considered that “we are witnessing the slow death of the autonomy
project proposed by Morocco, from the fact that it is illegal and does
not respond to the spirit of the Security Council resolutions.”
[El
Watan, 14.01.08]
Moroccan
Reactions
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Tayeb Fassi Fihri declared on 9
January to the Parisian weekly, l’Express that Morocco would take part
in the next round of negotiations “in the same state of mind and with
the will to make explicit and explain the context in which we are
working, namely autonomy and nothing but autonomy”. Making a link
between the Polisario Front and terrorism, he added that “the terrorist
threat weighs on us all. We have every interest in accelerating the
resolution of the problem to be able then to work together on the
security of the region”. This attitude is denounced by Mohamed Yeslem
Beissat, ambassador of the Saharawi Republic in Algiers [L'Expression] , who declared on 15 January
that “Moroccan and American parties are trying to find any way they can
to associate the struggle of the Saharawi people with the latest events
in Mauritania and in the region of the Sahel”.
11.01.08, USA-Morocco
The spokesman of the Department of State, Tom Casey, in his response to
a question, declared that the USA considers that the Moroccan proposal
is a serious and credible option and hopes that the Polisario will
agree to discuss it. [original ]
11.01.08, France-Morocco
Two members of the Moroccan delegation were received in Paris
immediately after the talks in Manhasset. The Minister for Foreign
Affairs, Bernard Kouchner received Fassi-Fihri. [APO]
Michèle Alliot-Marie, Minister for the Interior, talked the same
day with her counterpart, Benmoussa. She reaffirmed the necessity for a
collective mobilisation against the terrorist threat in the Sahel and
in the whole region”, which ministers have decided to raise to a
“higher level”. [point
de presse MinInt FR]
14.01.08,European Parliament
The Portuguese MEP, Pedro Guerreiro (GUE) asked in a plenary session
for the full respect of the right to self-determination of the Saharawi
people and for Morocco to stop its boycotting manoeuvres with the
negotiation process.[original
port.]
16-17.01.08, diplomacy
The Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Per Stig Moeller, carried out
an official visit to Morocco, in the course of which he was reported by
the Moroccan press as having welcomed the autonomy plan in the Sahara.
The Minister denied the words attributed to him by MAP.
[Statement]
The Swiss President, Pascal Couchepin was more circumspect. Despite the
entreaties of his hosts, he declared during his official visit at the
beginning of January that, in the search for a solution to the conflict
in Western Sahara, Switzerland placed its hope in the UN.
23.01.08, European-Maghreb Dialogue
The question of Western Sahara should be “set aside for the moment”
from the discussions in order to make progress with Maghreb
integration, the European Commissioner, Benita Ferrero-Waldner,
considers in a conversation with the Economiste.[Interview]
23.01.08,
Council of Europe
Speaking during a debate on cooperation between the Council of Europe
and the countries of the Maghreb, Jean-Paul Lecoq, from the group of
the European United Left, denounced the notion of “territorial
consolidation of Morocco” brought up in relation to the question of
Western Sahara. “Must we understand that ‘green marches’ permitting the
occupation of Western Sahara, war and the forced exile of thousands of
Saharawis should be considered by the Council of Europe as a
territorial consolidation”, the French deputy asked, calling the notion
“unacceptable”. [document]
25.01.08, Report of the UN Secretary General on the progress of
negotiations concerning Western Sahara S/2008/45
Ban Ki-moon presented his analysis of the latest round of talks on
Western Sahara. He considers that the parties exchanged views seriously
on the subject of the application of Security Council resolutions 1754
(2007) and 1783 (2007). But that “there were few exchanges which looked
like negotiations in any guise”. He recognised as positive elements
that the parties welcomed the intention of the Personal Envoy to visit
the region in the near future, that they had agreed to meet again and
of the necessity of more intense negotiations better focused on the
basis. [EN, FR,
ES, AR]
30.01.08, USA-Morocco
After passing through Paris, the Moroccan Minister for Foreign Affairs,
Fassi Fihri had talks with several American government officials. On
the subject of his meeting with Secretary of State Rice, the State
Department spokesperson said that the question of Western Sahara had
been broached and that Mrs Rice had underlined that her government
firmly supported the efforts of the UN to find a solution. [Daily
Press Briefing]
16.01.08, Nansen
passport
The Spanish Supreme Court acknowledges for Saharawis, in certain
circumstances, the condition of statelessness, in accordance with
international law and Spanish law. According to the court, Moroccan
nationality cannot be imposed upon them in any way. [20/11/2007,
recurso casacion núm.: 10503/2003, Tribunal supremo]
[El
Mundo, 19.12.07]
18.01.08, sale
of arms
Spain gave to Morocco, for one symbolic euro, eight guided bomb systems
valued at 86.848 euros, to equip fighter planes Mirage F-1 and Northrop
F-5.
[Europa
press] [Comentario Gonzalo
Moure, 20 de Enero, 2008].
On the other hand, the Moroccan airforce is said to have acquired from
the USA infra-red detection systems for its fighter planes valued at 15
million dollars. It is the first country in North Africa to acquire
this type of new generation system. The airforce is reported also to
have signed several contracts for defence systems valued at 250 million
dollars. (Assabah, 25.01.08)
Members of the European Parliament Raül Romeva and Karin Scheele
asked, in a written question to the Commission, if the sale of arms to
Morocco was compatible with the requirements of the EU on the arms
trade.
4 al 11 de enero
2008, 2º Festival de Cine Social y Derechos Humanos Cine Otro,
Valparaíso (Chile). El documental "Sahara no se vende", dirigido
por los navarros Luis Arellano y Joaquín Calderón, ha
recibido el galvano "Centenarios Salvador Allende" como reconocimiento
en la sección "Pueblos originarios y cultura". Más
información en http://www.saharanosevende.com y http://www.cineotro.com .
14-16 de enero 2008, Jornadas sobre el Sahara: "Derechos culturales y
politicos del pueblo saharaui y cooperacion, Universidad de Sevilla.
Organiza: Asociacion Andaluza de Antropologia.
16 al 25 de enero del 2008, «Un paseo por las tierras
saharauis», exposición pictórica de Fadel Jalifa
Alí en el Recinto de la Asamblea Legislativa del Distrito
Federal, Mexico. [Pintores sahrauis] [comentario]
22 de enero de
2008, En el marco de las actuaciones de la Agencia Española de
Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (AECID) en los
campos de refugiados saharauis de Tinduf, los días 16 y 17 de
enero se han repartido 472,4 toneladas de alimentos frescos. [comunicado
AECID]
26.01.08, Global
Action Day du Forum Social Mondial
The Maghreb Social Forum organised activities in Algiers, Nouakchott
and in Bouznika in Morocco. The latter demonstration mobilised over
1000 participants including 35 Saharawis. The Saharawi participants
took part in the work of various workshops. The one on conflict
resolution in the Sahara had some difficult moments because of the
provocations of a Moroccan minority against the Saharawis. Finally calm
returned and it finished its work by adopting The Appeal for peace in
Western Sahara. [corr.]
Switzerland: Intervention of M'Hamed Cheikh in the name of the
Polisario Front representation in Switzerland at the 8th alternative
conference of the WEF “The Other Davos” in Zurich. [allocution]
25 Jan– 2
February 2008 : 10. African Union Summit, Addis-Abeba, Ethiopia,
31 Jan –2 Fbruary 2008 : 10. Ordinary Session of the Coference of the
Head of State and Government Gouvernment
14 de febrero, a las 20 horas, Mesa redonda sobre el conflicto del
Sáhara y los medios de comunicación, en el Centre Social
Flassaders (Palma). Org.: La Associació d'Amics del Poble
Sahrauí de les Illes Balears. http://saharaillesbalears.org
25.02.08, Sahara Marathon http://www.saharamarathon.org/
7 al 14 de marzo de 2008, XXIII edición del Festival
Internacional de Cine en Guadalajara. La película mexicana
"CERCA DEL OLVIDO", dedicada al pueblo saharaui, participará en
la sección Mejor Largometraje Documental Mexicano.
15 au 21 mars 2008, Vol charter Genève - Tindouf organisé
par le Comité de Soutien au Peuple Sahraoui, Vaud - Suissse,
p.a. Moulay El Bechir Ould-Dedi, Email :
<moulayeb[at]hotmail.com> ou <dadi[at]dd-energy.com>
Association des
ingénieurs sahraouis, ersion arabe : http://www.sahara-ing.org/indexa.htm
Site en espanol: Bir Lehlu, Asociación de ayuda al Pueblo
Saharui de Pozuelo de Alatrcón: http://www.pozuelo.saharalibre.es
Blog en espanol: http://voluntadydeterminacion.blog.com
Blogs en
arabe:
http://mahdmusic.jeeran.com/
http://www.laintifadasaharaui.blogspot.com
http://chahid-imbayrik.skyrock.com/
Documents
Human Rights -
Droits humains - Derechos humanos
Analyses -
Analysis - Analisis
OPINIONS: http://opinions.arso.org
NEW
PUBLICATIONS
[External
links to newspapers may not be valid after some days because the
servers are restarted]
Français
>> Revue de la presse internationale francophone http://fr.groups.yahoo.com/group/revue-de-presse-sahara-occidental/messages
English
>> English publications on Sahara Update mailinglist: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sahara-update/messages
Castellano
>> Revista de la prensa en español http://es.groups.yahoo.com/group/revista-de-prensa-sahara-occidental/messages
Italiano
Deutsch
Arabe
[Summary
Weekly News,]
[Western
Sahara Homepage]