WEEKLY NEWS

 

WEEK 17

21.-27.04.1997

 

 

Polisario Front protests (16.04.97)
The Polisario Front condemns the inclusion of the occupied territories of W.S. in the next Moroccan elections which will take place in September of this year. In a letter addressed to the UN Secretary General the Sahrawi coordinator with the MINURSO M. Khaddad asks for measures to prevent a negative effect of this new violation of the peace plan. The Polisario qualifies the Moroccan decision as a provocation the UN cannot tolerate.

French delegation visits the refugee camps (11.4. - 18.4.97)
Including town council representatives, NGO delegates and members of the twinning of towns committees, this delegation notes in a press release the hard life-conditions in the refugee camps and underlines the remarkable organization of the people. It repeats the necessity to find finally a solution to the conflict and appeals to the international community to wake up to the seriousness of the situation including a real danger of arising of the armed conflict.

21.04.97
The prince heir of Morocco, Sidi Mohamed, 34 years old, will be on an official 4 days visit in Spain at mid-May.

22.04.97
No comment
Moroccan newspapers wellcome unanimously the visit of James Baker. But the official organ of the Istiqlal party (nationalist), Al Alam, writes that "whatever the solution of the referendum will be, Morocco is staying in its Sahara, that is a reality which cannot be ignored".

23.04.97
Bakers visit to Morocco, D 1
James Baker arrives at Casablanca with a staff of 6 persons. He reaches Rabat with a Spanish military airplane. First he meets King Hassan II in private during 70 minutes. A working session follows with the prince heir Sidi Mohamed, his brother Moulay Rachid, Prime Minister Filali, Interior Minister Basri and kings councelors Azoulay and Slaoui, in presence of E. Jensen and J. Bakers staff.

24.04.97
Bakers visit to Morocco, D 2
Meeting of J. Baker with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Interior and Snoussi, the Morroccan representative at U.N., in presence of E. Jensen. In the evening Baker meets the leaders of the Morroccan political parties. The leader of the USFP (socialist opposition) Youssoufi declares after the encounter: M. Baker thinks that Morocco can gain a lot of a definitive solution of the WS conflict, which is very expensive.
After that reunion Baker meets the King once more. Leaving Morocco Baker declared to be very satisfied by Moroccan cooperation.

25.04.97
Bakers visit to Algiers, D 3
Baker meets President Zeroual, Government Chief Ouyahia and Foreign Affairs Minister Attaf. Instead of reaching directly the refugee camps near Tindouf as planned, Baker goes to Nouakschott on 26.04. His visit is expectated on Sunday 27th at the Sahrawi refugee camps.

25.04.97
Thanks for diplomatic rupture ?
Morocco will pay a part of the costs of a 100 km long road joining the atlantic coast of Benin to the border of Burkina Faso.

26.04.97
Sahrawi press briefing
Speaking in front of international press and observers invited to Tindouf in occasion of the visit of James Baker, the Sahrawi Minister of Foreign Affairs refused any autonomy status for his country. Mr. Sayed affirmed that only a solution in the frame of UN-resolutions recognizing self-determination for the Sahrawi people can resolve the actual deadlock. He added that the independence of W.S. is "irreversible" and asked for a "serious dialog, not limited to tactical schemes". He wished that this dialog can be held in a neutral country like the USA, Switzerland, France or Spain.

Preparatory meeting for the Third International Conference of Solidarity with the Sahrawi Youth and People (Malaga 10.4.97)
On invitation of UJSARIO, six European Youth Organizations met in Malaga (Spain) in order to prepare the Third International Conference of Solidarity with the Sahrawi Youth and People. The second one took place in the refugee camps in October 11th 1996. The next Conference will take place in the first quarter of 1998 in an European city. The preparatory team appeals to all interested youth organizations to contact the Spanish Youth Council, International Relations Committee, Plaza de las Comendadoras, 6, E-28015 Madrid, phone: + 34 1 521 26 19 or 521 80 11, fax: +34 1 532 65 29, e-mail: narevalo@cje.org, for more informations

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