WESTERN SAHARA

WEEKLY NEWS

original french

WEEK 06

02.-08.02.2003

 

SADR

29.01.03
Namibia
Ahmed Salama presents his credentials to the Namibian President, Dr Sam Nujoma, as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipoteniary of SADR in the Republic of Namibia.

03-04.02.03
African Union
The President of the Saharawi Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz, accompanied by the Minister of Health Oumar Mansour, Ambassadors Sadafa Bahia and Zenan Mohamed Brahim, as well as Mohamed Yeslem Beissat, Polisario Front representative in South Africa, takes part in the first extraordinary summit of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa. (SPS)

06- 07.02.03
Rigoberta Menchu, Nobel Peace Prize winner, is visiting the refugee camps. She was received by the President of SADR and members of the government. During a public meeting she declared that "even though the question of Western Sahara is on the books of the United Nations who should bring the process of decolonisation to its conclusion, people like myself should continue to work tirelessly until the Saharawi people exercises its right to self-determination." (SPS)

OCCUPIED TERRITORIES

31.01.03
The Moroccan Minister of Justice, accompanied by a counselor of the King, inaugurated the penitentiary complex of Aït Melloul, near Agadir. Some prisoners from Inzegane prison had already been transferred to Aït Melloul at the beginning of the week. Inzegane prison will be closed "as soon as possible". Tamek's report on this prison, published in "An-Nahar", seems to have borne fruit.

31.01.03
The Forum for Truth and Justice of Morocco sends a memorandum to the Moroccan government asking for the release of all political detainees. 27 Saharawi political detainees figure on their list.

07.02.03
Ali Salem Tamek
The family of the political prisoner are wondering how the prison administration could have permitted a prisoner to have a knife and an iron bar with which to attack their son on 30 January. They are calling for an inquiry to be opened to investigate who incited the prisoner to "assassinate" their son. (As-Sabah) New documents - Manuscript letter from Tamek, fr, sp + arabic - Article in the weekly El Nahar, n° 10, 2003, p. 3, french - Statement from the Forum for Truth and Justice Sahara branch 02.02.03, french.

DIPLOMACY

05.02.03
Algiers-Paris
Visit of Bouteflika to Paris
The Algerian president is carrying out a brief working visit to Paris where he is meeting Jacques Chirac. The working visit of the Algerian president and his meeting with Jacques Chirac has given place in some of the Algerian media to speculations on a change of position on the question of WS, speculations which are denied by the government.

06-07.02.03
Algiers-Rabat
Abdelaziz Belkhadem, Algerian Minister of State and Minister of Foreign Affairs, is carrying out a working visit of two days in Rabat at the invitation of his Moroccan counterpart. After several work sessions with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and other members of the government, as well as an audience with the King, Belkhadem affirmed that Mohamed VI had made known to him his "attachment to revitalising relations between the two countries as well as to his wish to work for an early meeting with President Bouteflika in order to improve the level of cooperation and to find a concrete expression for the fraternity between the two countries and the two peoples". He further indicated that "a meeting should take place soon between President Bouteflika and King Mohamed VI", without giving the precise date and place of the meeting. (APS) This meeting which will take place "without foreign mediation", could happen "in more than one month but before one year", Mr Belkhadem added, announcing different prior cooperation meetings, in particular the "next" visit to Algiers of the Moroccan minister of Interior Mostafa Sahel followed by Prime Minister Driss Jettou. (AFP)
On the subject of the Sahara, the head of Algerian foreign relations had indicated before his departure that he would deal with the question, "if our Moroccan friends bring it up". He recalled, according to APS, that "the international community has invested in a solution in accordance with international law, making clear the conviction of Algeria that it is "rapprochement between our two countries - and not their estrangement - which will help the efforts of the United Nations succeed through the person of Mr James Baker", the personal envoy of the UN Secretary General on Western Sahara. "Faced with complicated situations, it is wise not to believe in stereotypes and easy expedients", Mr Belkhadem said insisting that "the present leaders at the highest level of all the interested and concerned parties can overcome the blockage to make history." All the peoples of the region would be eternally grateful to them for it," he further emphasised. (APS)

INTERNET

SOLIDARITY
Greve in Chianti: Domenica 9 febbraio 2003 alle ore 17,30 presso la sala della Casa del Popolo si terrà l'iniziativa "Bevendo un tè insieme...". La giornata è organizzata al ritorno dal volo 2003 nei campi profughi saharawi nel deserto dell'Hammada. L'incontro prevede racconti, riflessioni con foto e filmati del viaggio. Dalle ore 19,30 si potrà cenare al prezzo di 15 euro e il ricavato sarà destinato all'accoglienza dei bambini saharawi che arriveranno nel mese di luglio 2003. Per prenotazioni 3381555050 oppure 055858455 (Costanza). L'iniziativa è organizzata dal Comitato "Selma" c/o Centro Civico - Strada in Chianti.

COMING UP

Barcelona: Acte d'acomiadament de la "Campanya d'Emergència d'Aliments per al Poble Sahrauí, 15 de febrer a l'avinguda Mª Cristina de Barcelona (entre les dues torres venecianes de la plaça Espanya). L'acte començarà a les 11.30 hores.

24.02.03, Sahara Marathon

28 au 30 mars 2003, Genève: RENCONTRE AVEC LES FAMILLES DE DISPARUS SAHRAOUIS

Contact, inscription, informations: Bureau International pour le Respect des Droits de l'Homme au Sahara Occidental: birdhso@birdhso.org

Vuelos charter

NEW PUBLICATIONS
[External links to newspapers may not be valid after some days because the servers are restarted]

Français

Les dépêches, articles, etc, sont accessibles aux non-abonnés sur Sahara-Info, liste de courrier (français et espagnol): http://es.groups.yahoo.com/group/sahara-info/messages

English

English publications on Sahara Update mailinglist: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sahara-update/messages

Castellano

- Todos los despachos, articulos de prensa, etc, son acessible por no-abonados en Sahara-Info, lista de correo (castellano y francés): http://es.groups.yahoo.com/group/sahara-info/messages

- Revista de la prensa española de la semana: http://www.nodo50.org/fpolisario/Prensa.htm

- Noticias de prensa, Recopilación semanal de todos los articulos de la prensa de España: http://www.nodo50.org/labarored/interpueblos/Sahara/

Norwegian

[Summary Weekly News,] [Western Sahara Homepage]