|
WEEKLY NEWS |
original french
16.-22.06.2002
SADR
REFERENDUM
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES - HUMAN RIGHTS
ALGERIA
DIALOGUE
HUMANITARIAN AID
SOLIDARITY
COMING UP
INTERNET
NEW PUBLICATIONS
SADR
17.06.02
Release of 100 Moroccan prisoners of war
At the request of the German government and following talks led by
the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Mr Jurgen Chrobog, the
Polisario Front decided to release 100 Moroccan prisoners of war as a
humanitarian gesture. (Communiqués MinInfo
RASD,
AFAPREDESA-UJS,
ONG allemandes, français
- deutsch
, M.
Kessler, pres EP Intergroup,
SPS)
18.06.02
« The German government expressly welcomes the fact that the
Polisario has agreed to this humanitarian gesture, which was also
obtained with the support of the Algerian government », the
German ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out in a statement.
Morocco thanked Germany for its role in the liberation of the
prisoners. The Saharawi representative in Madrid recalled that 226
Saharawi prisoners of war are still imprisoned in Morocco.
19.06.02
A training and cultural centre financed by OXFAM Belgique and managed
by the National Union of Saharawi Women (NUSW), was opened. The
« Naaja Ali Brahim » Centre with an area of 240 m2, can
accommodate 140 women, for the use of production workshops, a
library, a computer cluster, and a beauty parlour.
(SPS)
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES - HUMAN RIGHTS
14-16.06.02
First national Congress of the Forum for Truth and Justice. At the
end of three days' deliberations, the congress gave itself new
statutes and elected its national council of 79 members, which will
appoint an executive of 15 members. 44 delegates from the Sahara
section took part in the conference. Five of them were elected to the
national council of the association, the highest body of the Forum
after the congress.
18.06.02
The Moroccan authorities banned a peaceful march planned by Saharawi
teachers sitting-in outside the National Ministry of Education in
Rabat. The police surrounded the demonstrators. (see week
24/02)
19.06.02
Hamadi Mohamed Lamine Jiyed, alias Enasiri, a member of the Forum for
Truth and Justice Sahara Section, who took part in the national
congress, was arrested by the police while he was going to the
National Security in Rabat to renew his identity card. He was taken
to El Ayoun the same day. Enasiri is a former Saharawi political
detainee, who « disappeared » for four months in 1992. He
is accused of having been a leader of the events in Smara in November
2001. Saharawi students organised a sit-in of solidarity outside a
police station in the centre of Rabat, to demand his
release.
22.06.02
The police questioned three Forum for Truth and Justice - Sahara
Section (FTJ-Sahara) activists H'mad Hammad, Idri Lahoussine and
Brahim Ismaili, who were in Dakhla, after beseiging the house where
they were and breaking down the door. Their car was
seized.
Members of the executive of the FTJ-Sahara and the association of Saharawi unemployed were summoned by the police in El Ayoun. The police seem to be looking for the origin of the report on the human rights situation in Western Sahara which has set off a controversy in the Moroccan press. (see week 24/02)
REFERENDUM
18.06.02
The MEP Marianne Eriksson has refused to endorse the report written
by the ad hoc committee on Western Sahara, chaired by Mrs
Lalumière. Having taken part in the mission, she presented her
own report, considering that the « official » version did
not correspond to reality and contained historical inaccuracies and
failed to acknowledge international law and the UN/OAU peace plan,
which gives the Saharawis the right to a referendum of
self-determination. The Swedish MEP complains that the report is
completely in line with the Moroccan and French positions.
(Press
release,
with link to full report)
17.06.02
UMA summit
The 7th summit of the UMA, due to take place in Algiers on 21 and 22
June, was suddenly postponed sine die, officially at the request of
Colonel Moumar El Khaddafi. Once again, the question of Western
Sahara was at the origin of the failure of this meeting, which had
been carefully prepared by Algeria, this year's president of the UMA.
The Moroccan prime minister justified a few days earlier the absence
of King Mohamed VI because of the attitude of Algiers about Western
Sahara. « While a long awaited summit was being prepared,
certain incomprehensible initiatives became apparent as the summit
approached », he declared, without making clear the nature or
origin of these initiatives, mentioning « the surprising
attitude adopted in recent weeks by our neighbours on the question of
the Sahara ».
DIALOGUE
Members of the
Youth of Moroccan Democrats abroad, JDME, and the Youth of the
Polisario Front met in Paris on 15 June. They observed a minute's
silence in memory of Fadel Ismaïl, who had played a major role
in setting up this meeting. Despite the absence of youth
organisations from Moroccan political parties, which had requested
the postponement of the meeting, a dialogue was started, a taboo was
broken. In a statement, the JDME said that « the moment was
opportune - independently of our position on the question of Western
Sahara - not to be content with the union but to move on to practical
work and to begin doing it. » The JDME appealed to « work
for the right to self-determination of the peoples of the Maghreb,
the right to peace, to liberty, to justice and to democracy
».
For his part, the representative of the Union of Young People of the
Saguiet El Hamra and the Rio de Oro (UJSARIO), Sidi Mohamed Oumar,
highlighted « the importance of a meeting of this kind »
between the active elements in both countries, expressing the hope
that this would constitute « a starting point for opening a
fruitful and constructive dialogue which could help bring peace and
justice between Morocco and SADR ».
HUMANITARIAN AID
18.06.02
The European Commission adopted a global plan for humanitarian aid
for the Saharawi refugees worth 14.34 million euros. The programme
makes provision for various foodstuffs, essential medicines, health
items and blankets for the winter. The European Commissioner for
Development and Humanitarian Aid, Poul Nielson, said in a statement
that the conflict in Western Sahara had become a sort of «
forgotten conflict », but that the EU « would maintain its
commitment towards the Saharawis ». (EP, SPS)
SOLIDARITY
21.06.02
Over ten thousand Saharawi children will go to Europe for the summer
period, to Spain, Italy, France, Switzerland and Austria. About
thirty children have gone to the United States of America for a stay
of 45 days, organised for the third time by Christ the Rock Community
Church. (SPS)
COMING UP
World Forum of civil society, Geneva, 14-19.07.02, organised by the UN, will include among other things a working group on the right of peoples to self-determination and another on human rights. (http://www.worldcivilsociety.org)
INTERNET
Sign the Manifesto for peace in Western Sahara:
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Web del Sahara Occidental, sitio de Haddi Larosi: <http://es.geocities.com/websahocc/index.html>
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