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WEEKLY NEWS |
original french
28.07.-10.08.2002
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
REFERENDUM
MOROCCO
HUMAN RIGHTS
SOLIDARITY
INTERNET
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OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
01.08.02
The conditions of detention in the "black prison" of El Ayoun are
still catastrophic, see recent report published by AFAPREDESA
(Spanish).
About a hundred Saharawi detainees, including some political
detainees, signed a letter to Amnesty International to complain about
their "harsh conditions of detention" and threatening to start an
unlimited hunger strike if the Moroccan authorities do not respond
positively to their grievances : "immediate unconditional release of
all political detainees, a stop to unfair trials and forced
confessions, sending an international mission of inquiry and opening
of Western Sahara to international observers and media."
(corr.)
Nasiri Ahmed (Hamadi Mohamed Lamine Jiyed), chair of the Forum for Truth and Justice in Smara, is presently held in the "black prison", awaiting his trial due on 18 September, accused of having been a ring-leader in the Smara riots in November 2001 (see week 47/01). A defender of human rights, he has already been in prison in 1992 and from 1993 to 1994 (see week 25). (corr.)
Meanwhile, the judicial police continue interrogating young Saharawis from the Maatallah area of El Ayoun, looking for those responsible for the attack on the police station on 19 June. Three people have already been sentenced in this affair (see week 29). (corr.)
06.08.02
Smara
Dozens of Saharawi graduates organised a sit-in in front of the
administration building of the Moroccan occupation to demand work.
The gathering which lasted three hours, was an occasion to recall
that "priority for jobs goes to Moroccan settlers while indigenous
Saharawis are reduced to the dole", as one participant deplored.
(SPS)
REFERENDUM
30.07.02
Resolution of the Security Council S/RES/1429 (2002)
(PDF
or HTML)
The Council unanimously decided to extend the mandate of MINURSO
until 31 January 2003.
The Security Council reaffirmed the validity of the settlement plan,
it "continues to strongly support the efforts of the Secretary
General and his Personal Envoy, to find a political solution to this
long-standing dispute... and expresses
its readiness to consider any approach which provides for
self-determination...".
Reactions
SADR
"The resolution is a victory for the Saharawi people and for
international law", President Mohamed Abdelaziz stated in an
exclusive interview given to SPS.
"All the members of the Security Council were unanimous in
considering the conflict (...) to be a question of decolonisation,
needing a solution through the exercise by the Saharawi people of
their right to self-determination", the President emphasised.
Reaffirming "the validity of the UN settlement plan", the
international community has clearly "rejected the draft Frame-work
agreement". (SPS)
In a press conference in Algiers, the Saharawi minister for Foreign
Affairs, Ould Salek considered that the resolution contained two
essential points: the peaceful and definitive solution must
necessarily involve the application of the principle of the right of
self-determination, and the UN/OAU peace plan remains valid. He added
in conclusion that the Council recognises that the nature of the
Moroccan-Saharawi conflict is a question of decolonisation, which
must be resolved by a referendum, and that it rejects the draft
"framework-agreement", aiming to legitimise the occupation.
(Declaration
of Ould Salek)
(see also: declaration
of M. Khaddad,
PF coordinator with MINURSO and Press
release Polisario Representation to
Australia)
Morocco
"The members of the Security Council have preferred to give a clear
unfettered mandate to Mr Baker to continue his efforts of political
mediation", observed Mr Bennouna, the Moroccan Ambassador at the UN.
"We hope that we will manage to negotiate a fair and lasting solution
on the basis of the approach which he will propose". A spokesman for
the Moroccan ministry of Foreign Affairs declared himself "satisfied"
by the latest resolution of the Security Council, considering that it
supports a "negotiated political solution". (MAP,
AFP)
Algeria
In a statement, the Algerian minister of Foreign Affairs writes that
"this resolution expresses perfectly the concern of the international
community to promote a fair and lasting solution for this conflict,
on the basis of international law and the doctrine of the United
Nations on the question of decolonisation". (APS)
Spain
The Vice-President and spokesman of the government, Mariano Rajoy,
repeated the position of Spain in favour of agreement between the
parties, because, "when there is agreement, the situation becomes
more stable and does not generate conflict... For the moment, the
only agreement which exists is the referendum", he added.
France
"France, which played an active role in the search for consensus
within the Council, in liaison with the parties, welcomes the
adoption of this resolution, which it considers as a satisfying
result." (French
Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Russia
The Russian ministry of Foreign Affairs underlined that "with
Russia's active participation, this resolution was successfully
oriented toward voicing additional political support for UN efforts
to bring about a peaceful settlement of the dispute around Western
Sahara that takes into account the lawful interests of the parties
involved - Morocco and the POLISARIO Front - and envisaging the
realization of the right of the people of Western Sahara to
self-determination.». (full statement)
Solidarity Associations
The president of the European Coordination of Support for the Saharawi People, in a letter to President Abdelaziz, is delighted with "the unanimous decision of the United Nations Security Council confirming the settlement plan for the conflict through the respect of the principles of the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination. This clarification puts an end to the prevarications and hesitations of the Council and to the attempts of Morocco to divert the international institution from its obligation to bring to its conclusion the process of decolonisation of Western Sahara. (corr.)
The Federation of Spanish Institutions of solidarity with the Saharawi people (FEDISSAH) expressed its "satisfaction" with the adoption of the resolution which constitutes a "resounding defeat" for the Moroccan position and claims and "buries for ever the draft Framework-Agreement". (SPS)
The National Algerian Committee of solidarity with the Saharawi People (CNASPS) "welcomes the results and conclusions of the UN, which establish unequivocally that the question of Western Sahara is a question of decolonisation." (SPS)
The French Committee for Western Sahara writes that, "if one can be satisfied with being reminded of the principle of 'self-determination of the Saharawi people', resolution 1429 only brings with it a mitigated satisfaction. Too many telling indications of the inclination of the UN in favour of Morocco and suggestive of pressure on the Saharawi leadership, lead one to doubt the sincerity of the intentions of the internationalorganisation." (Declaration French>
MOROCCO
30.07.02
Speech from the throne
On the occasion of the Feast of the Throne, King Mohammed VI repeated
his "unshakeable determination to protect our territorial integrity
and not to give up a single inch of our territory". He stressed "with
force the categorical rejection of any partitionist position" and
reaffirmed Moroccan sovereignty on the islet Toura (Leila/Perejil).
He asked Spain for a "clear definition" of the relations it intends
to establish with Morocco.
Reaction
The President of the Saharawi Republic "deplored" that Mohamed VI
should have lapsed into "escapism and intransigence on the colonial
fait accompli". He pointed out "the falsification" of obvious truths
and "mystifications", which tend to divert the attention of public
opinion from the socio-economic and political problems with which
Morocco is struggling. The king of Morocco attacked Algeria head-on
by blaming it for "his own problems", the President pointed out,
denouncing this policy "which is contrary to fraternity and good
neighbourliness". Morocco attacked Spain, Mr Abdelaziz indicated,
which is "a privileged partner of countries and peoples of the Arab
Maghreb", affirming that "provocation, blackmail and aggressiveness
against a good friend of our peoples and those of Africa, is contrary
to the interests of the peoples of the region". (SPS)
06.08.02
The elections of the Chamber of Representatives (parliament) will
take place on 27 September with a proportional ballot.
07.08.02
Arms Purchases
According to the Madrid daily La Razon, Morocco has just bought from
Byelo-Russia 50 combat tanks T-72, in the context of a programme of
arms purchases from countries other than its usual supplier, the USA.
The objective is to avoid, according to the paper, an American veto
on the use of these arms in the case of a possible conflict with
Spain. Morocco recently bought in France F-3 self-propelled 155 mm
artillery batteries with a range of 30 km. Morocco is negotiating
with the Saudis for the purchase of 20 F-16 fighter planes, bought by
Saudi Arabia from the USA, which have just arrived at Saudi bases.
(week
10).
La Razon claims that about 20 Moroccan pilots are thought to be
receiving training on the F-16 in Belgium, which was denied by the
Belgian minister of Defence in a letter last March to Pierre Galand,
President of EUCOCO.
HUMAN RIGHTS
29.07.-16.08.02
54th session of the Sub-Committee on promotion and protection of
human rights
The International League for the rights and liberation of Peoples
(LIDLIP) declared: "For some months, we have been receiving reports
on cases of serious human rights abuses in the Spanish former colony,
Western Sahara.
Human rights activists and defenders are living through a real
martyrdom in this country: threats, persecutions, attempted arrests,
arbitrary arrests and sacking of human rights defenders. Should
Western Sahara remain at the mercy of daily abuses of international
norms of human rights? LIDLIP launches an appeal to the International
Community to put more pressure on Morocco to implement immediately
the settlement agreement to bring this country out of its exceptional
state. The right to self-determination of the Saharawi people,
reaffirmed, once again by the latest resolution of the UN Security
Council, should be respected in accordance with contemporary
international law."
INTERNET
Informe sobre la situación de los presos políticos saharauis en la Cárcel Negra de El Aaiún: Hacinamientos, Enfermedades, Falta de alimentación, Violaciones Sexuales y Cohecho de las autoridades, AFAPREDESA, 11.07.02.
OPINION
COMING UP...
The 28th
European Conference of support to the Saharawi people, EUCOCO 2002,
Peace and Self-determination for the Saharawi people
Modena (Italy) 25-27 October 2002
Contact: ansps@libero.it
; roversi@arci.tin.it
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