WEEKLY NEWS

WEEK 20

10.-16.05.1998

09.05.98
The Moroccan Minister of social development, employment and professional formation, Khalid Alioua, evoking in Paris the dificulties of the identification process in Western Sahara, declared Morocco is not ready to participate to a sham of a referendum.

10-16.05.98
Mohamed Abdelaziz's visit in France
On May 11 speaking in front of the medias the Saharawi President appealed to King Hassan II to hold his commitments in favor of the self-determination referendum in Western Sahara: «The referendum is the only way to peace» he told. «It's time of truth. Let speak the polls», he added.
On May 12 Mr Abdelaziz met the Intergroup «Peace for the Saharawi people» of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
The Secretary General of the Polisario Front finished his visit in Gonfreville L'Orcher, twinned city of J'reifia, on invitation of its lordmayor Mr J.-P. Lecoq. Mr Abdelaziz met elected people of the region, deputies etc. Speaking to his hosts,he appealed to the friends of the Saharawi cause to ask the French Government to support a peacefull solution to the decolonizing process of Western Sahara.

11.05.98
Morocco is to ban fishing over a one-year period within a strip of 15 nautical miles off the coast between the two Western Sahara towns of Boujdour and Dakhla. «This measure targets mainly the preservation of the main sardine reproduction zone in the south Atlantic.»

11.05.98
Balance of identification

Identified since l3.12.97: 51 132 applicants.

Identified since August 1994: 111 244 applicants.

Identified since 11 May: 916 applicants.

The centers of El Kelaa des Sraghna et de Sidi Kacem (Northern Morocco) opened on 11 Mayai. Eleven centers are presently in function.

14.05.98
Switzerland
On the occasion of a pleasure trip to Morocco of municipal and cantonal representatives of the Geneva region, the cantonal Parliament adopted an urgent resolution asking the travellers to transmit to the Moroccan authorities their concern about the situation of the Saharawi people and their wish of a quick implementation of the Peace plan, in a fair and transparent way.
The Swiss committee of support to the Saharawi people also appealed to the representatives not to forget the «disappeared» Saharawis" in Morocco.

18-21.05.98
A delegation of the Maghreb Committee of the European Parliament presided by Mrs Mireille Elmalan will visit Morocco from May 18 to 21.

SOLIDARITY

Camargo, Cantabria, Spain
The Coordination of the solidarity organisations of Asturia and Cantabria organise on May 16 a radio-day of solidarity with the Saharawi people. Different local radios present a special programme with informations, interviews of numerous Spanish personalities and live contacts with the refugee camps. On May 23 there will be a music concert and on May 29 a football play. 

NEW on INTERNET

Plataforma por un referendum libre en el Sahara Occidental, Escuela Universitaria de Trabajo Social de Murcia
URL: http://www.um.es/~eutsum/escuela/adhesiones/sahara/referendum.html

NEW PUBLICATIONS

• Del Sahara espanol a la Republica saharaui, Un siglo de lucha, Gomez Emiliano, préface de Hector Gros Espiell, Instituto del Tercer Mundo, Montevideo, Uruguay, 1992, 268 p.
• Courrier de France No 3, 5.5.1998, publication de la Représentation du Front Polisario en France.
• "Je demande à la France d'adopter une attitude de neutralité", interview de Mohamed Abdelaziz par J.-P. Tuquoi, Le Monde, Paris, 13.5.98, p. 3.
• Un chirurgien au service de la paix, Unités sanitaires suisses au Sahara Occidental et en Namibie, Kehrer Beat, Nous samaritains, CH-La Tour-de-Peilz, 14.5.98, p. 2.
• Communiqués de la Représentation du Front Polisario en France, 13 et 15.5.1998.
• Sortez la RASD, L'OUA doit réparer ses erreurs, Bendaoud Karim, Maroc Hebdo International, No 323, 16.5.98.

[Summary Weekly News,] [Western Sahara Homepage]