|
WEEKLY NEWS |
original french
27.01.- 02.02.2002
HEADLINES
- Occupied territories
- James Baker's secret visit
- Official visit to Venezuela
- King of Morocco's cousin and the Sahara
- Oil contracts : UN legal opinion
- Russia gets involved in finding a solution
- Prisoners of war
- Morocco off-shore
Occupied
territories
The situation in the occupied territories is beginning to interest
Moroccan political parties.
The Reform and Development Party (PRD), led by Abderrahman El Cohen,
has just carried out a tour from 18-21 January to Dakhla, Boujdour
and El Ayoun. A delegation from the Party of Progress and Socialism
(PPS, ex-Communist) met "key individuals and associations
representing civil society" on 26 January in El Ayoun. Discussions
bore on the fate of defectors from the refugee camps near Tindouf,
employment, the problems of the inhabitants of the Unity camps
(transferred from Morocco to take part in the referendum), workers
from Fos Boucraa, women, victims of detention and disappearance as
well as families of detainees sentenced following the events in
Smara. The Saharawis openly denounced fraud concerning government aid
deflected to profiteers, and denounced the repressive and
discriminatory methods of the authorities.
Fight
against unemployment
The new wali (governor), who withdrew financial benefit from 14,000
young people (the rate of unemployment is 25%), recently
received a group of over 300 unemployed Saharawi graduates, who have
been protesting for a long time wanting jobs. He offered to them
training and work in small-scale fishing. The university graduates
rejected the proposal, considering it as hidden incitement to
emigrate to the Canaries. They also believe that small-scale fishing
constitutes an ecological crime, threatening coastal marine wildlife
with extinction by over-fishing.
24-26.01.02
Secret visit
James Baker made a visit on the 24th to El Ayoun to the headquarters
of MINURSO accompanied by the Moroccan Minister of the Interior. He
also had talks with Mohamed VI. Baker is reported to have traveled in
a private jet owned by Prince Bandar, the Saudi Arabian Ambassador in
Washington, who also came along. The US Ambassador in Morocco
apparently joined them on the trip to El Ayoun, but decided to remain
on board.
28-29.01.02
Venezuela
The Saharawi President, Mohamed Abdelaziz carried out a two day
official visit to Venezuela, where he was received by President Hugo
Chavez, with whom he had lengthy talks on relations between the two
countries and the situation of the peace plan. The Saharawi
delegation was welcomed in the National Assembly by its President,
William Lara, and had talks with members of the parliamentary
friendship intergroup SADR-Venezuela. On 2 February, the Saharawi
President was due to go to Nigeria.
29.01.02
Rumours of coup d'état attempt
According to Le Monde , taking up the story from the Moroccan
press, the Moroccan DST (Interior secret service), could have tried
to implicate the King's cousin, Prince Moulay Hicham in a plot. He is
alleged to have been aiming to create an emirate in Western Sahara
with the aid of part of the royal army. The interested party
confirmed that he had been contacted twice in 2001 to get involved in
the issue of Western Sahara, without any follow-up, adding that "the
DST is becoming a political police. The king is their
hostage."
30.01.02
UN - oil contracts
The UN Office of Legal Affairs on 29 January made its report on the
legality, in the context of international law, of the contracts
concerning the territory of Western Sahara signed by Morocco with
foreign oil companies.
In a statement (Spanish),
the Polisario Front representative at the UN writes that this opinion
had brought a "historic" clarification on the nature of the conflict
between Morocco and the Saharawi people, as well as on the character
of the Moroccan presence in Western Sahara. The Office considers that
the 1975 Madrid accords do not signify the transfer to Morocco of
sovereignty over the territory, nor the title of administrating
power. The international status of Western Sahara is that of a
non-self governing territory.
Concerning the contracts for oil exploration in a non-autonomous
territory, the Department holds that they would violate international
law as soon the oil companies were actually exploiting the oil
resources to the detriment of the interests of the people of Western
Sahara. (see also Press
release of
the Polisario Mission for UK and Ireland, 02.02.02 )
30.01.02
Russia
At the end of discussions with Benaïssa, Moroccan minister of
Foreign Affairs, on a visit to Russia, the head of Russian diplomacy
clarified the position of his country on the question of Western
Sahara. I.S. Ivanov declared that «this problem can be solved
only by political means. Therefore Russia has given support to the UN
peace plan, which was approved in its time by the parties directly
involved in the conflict. At the same time we consider other
suggestions possible that would be based on the principles set forth
in the peace plan and would be endorsed by the sides. That's how we
feel about the well-known proposals of Mr. Baker.» The
minister added that «Russia is interested in resolving this
problem. We understand that it complicates the situation in the
region and impedes integration processes in Maghreb. Taking into
account the high level of Russian relations with Algeria and Morocco,
we will use this for rendering assistance in the search of ways to
resolve the existing situation.» (News
bulletin
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian
Federation)
31.01.02
Prisoners of war
In a statement,
the Committee of external relations of the Polisario Front questions
the attitude of Morocco, which has ignored the existence of its
prisoners of war for so long, and then suddenly, through an
international campaign, becomes concerned about them. The Committee
denounces this attitude, which is trying to apply only the clauses of
the UN peace plan which exclusively serve Moroccan interests, while
Rabat still denies holding Saharawi prisoners of war and pursues its
repression of the Saharawi population in the occupied territories,
still closed to human rights organisations and independent observers.
The Committee believes that the problem of the Moroccan prisoners of
war is settled by the provisions of the peace plan.
Approaching the same subject in a statement, the Polisario Front Mission for the United Kingdom and Ireland, points out that by recognising the existence of Moroccan soldiers and their status of prisoners of war, Morocco recognises the existence of an international war with the state of Western Sahara, SADR.
31.01.02
Oil
Following the publication in the official Spanish paper of 23 January
2002 of the decree granting prospecting rights for offshore oil
in the region between the Canary Islands and the Moroccan coastline
off Tarfaya, the Moroccan government protested in a diplomatic note
at "this unilateral, questionable and hostile act in so far as it
attacks rights inherent to Moroccan sovereignty over its continental
shelf - which extends well beyond the median line - as a prolongation
of its territory under the sea." (Real
Decreto 1462/2001)
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