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22.01.99
France
Polisario's representative to France, Fadel Ismaïl, stated that
as France welcomes the "year of Morocco," it has forgotten that
country's illegal occupation of the Western Sahara. He called on all
persons of good will, and the media, to raise public awareness of the
implications of Morocco's involvement in the Western Sahara and to
call on Moroccan officials to respect the right of the Sahrawi people
to self-determination. The Sahrawi should not be eternally condemned
to Moroccan occupation as a result of France's priority to maintain
good relations with Morocco, despite that country's increasing
isolation as a result of its obstruction of the Western Sahara peace
process. He called on France to liberate itself from the shackles
imposed on it by these relations and to resume its place as a
responsible player in the region of Northwest Africa.
26.01.99
England
During a public meeting organized by the All Party Group for the
Sahrawi people, many MPs denounced Morocco's obstruction of the peace
process and called on the British government to exercise pressure on
Morocco. They expressed their indignation at the allocation of $281
million in EU aid to Morocco this year, while Morocco spends $1
million a day in its illegal occupation of Western Sahara
(Polisario Front's UK information bureau).
28.01.99
A delegation from the All Party Group for the Sahrawi people in
Parliament met the British Minister of State for Foreign Affairs,
Derek Fatchett, to discuss the latest developments regarding Western
Sahara.
28.01.99
British Government's answer
In an answer to a written question by Lord Steel in the House of
Lords about the British government's current policy on Western
Sahara, following the failure of the United Nations to hold the
referendum last month, Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean answered on
behalf of the government: "Her Majesty's Government was disappointed
that the referendum in the Western Sahara had to be postponed until
December 1999. The UN Secretary General recently visited the region
and presented to all the parties involved a package of proposals
intended to advance the referendum process. The Polisario, Algeria
and Mauritania have all accepted this package and we hope that
Morocco also will soon accept. We fully support the UN's efforts to
find a just and durable settlement to this dispute. We are working
with our EU partners, within the Friends of the Western Sahara Group
at the UN and at the Security Council to encourage Morocco to rally
to the consensus on the next steps in the process."
28.01.99
SG Report
S/1999/88
In his report to the Security Council on the situation in Western
Sahara, the Secretary-General noted the Moroccan government's
decision to engage in detailed discussions with his Special
Representative and the Chairman of the Identification Commission on
voter identification and appeals protocols in connection with a
referendum on self-determination in the territory. The Moroccan
Government is now studying the clarifications provided by the United
Nations.
The Secretary-General expressed hope that the current consultations
can lead to a prompt resumption of the identification process and to
the initiation of the appeals process. He also welcomes the Moroccan
Government's decision to formalize the status of the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the territory. The
Secretary-General recommended that the mandate of the UN Mission for
the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) be extended until 28
February. (UN Highlights)
28.01.99
Security Council Resolution
S/RES/1224
1999
"The Security Council extends the mandate of the MINURSO until 11
February 1999. Unanimously adopting resolution 1224 (1999), the
Council asked the Secretary-General to keep it informed of all
significant developments in the implementation of the Settlement Plan
and the agreements reached between the parties - the Government of
Morocco and the POLISARIO - and, as appropriate, on the continuing
viability of MINURSO's mandate."
28.01.99
Basri declaration
Morocco and the United Nations concluded an agreement on the
resumption of the identification of would-be voters in the
self-determination referendum that the UN plans to hold in the
Sahara. The accord deals with the resumption of the identification of
tribal groups who had not been admitted to identification, the
beginning of appeal procedures and the status of the MINURSO in
Morocco (MAP).
28.01.99
EU aid to Morocco
"The European Union's £4bn overseas aid budget should be
radically overhauled to ensure that funds go to the world's poorest
countries (...). In a scathing report, the Commons International
Development Select Committee will call for a "refocusing" of the EU's
priorities. The MPs were horrified that Morocco, which is accused of
human right abuses in its illegal occupation of Western Sahara, comes
out on top of the list of aid recipients. Morocco receives 8 times
more EU aid per head than Bangladesh and Ethiopia" (The
Independent).
Human rights
In the November 20 to 26, 1998 issue (No 11) of the Moroccan
periodical As-Siyassa, it was reported that the 320 Sahrawi detainees
released by Moroccan authorities in June 1991, continue to face daily
difficulties including health and employment problems. Fifty-seven
detainees died in prison, 13 others following their release as a
result of serious health problems caused by poor conditions in
detention (Courrier de France, No 7).
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