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WEEKS 07-08 : 11.02. - 24.02.2007 |
12.02.07, reactions
The President of the Saharawi Republic reacted to the position taken by
the French president on the subject of the Moroccan autonomy proposal.
He asked him, in an open letter, to play a “constructive role in a fair
and lasting settlement of the problem of Western Sahara through respect
for the right to self-determination of the Saharawi people”. [SPS] [texte intégral]
The French Association of Friends of SADR expressed “great
surprise”, in a statement, about the recent declarations of President
Chirac, who had “committed himself in clear support of the autonomy
plan for Western Sahara describing it as a constructive solution”.
AFASPA and CORELSO also reacted in similar vein.
[Communiqué AARASD, 11.02.07] [AFASPA: Lettre à Chirac, 18.02.07] [Lettre du CORELSO, 20.02.07]
12.02.07, protests
The Saharawi ambassador in Algiers, Mohamed Yeslem Beissat denounced on
Algerian radio, the armaments contract concluded between Spain and
Morocco, calling it an “irresponsible” act and demanding its annulment.
[SPS]
The Coordination of Spanish associations with the Saharawi people
(CEAS-Sahara) likewise condemned the contract, claiming that “it
encourages the continuation of the illegal occupation” of Western
Sahara. [Nota de prensa]
12.02.07, Mauritania
A special envoy of the Saharawi President, Khalil Sidi M'Hamed,
Minister of the Occupied Territories and the Diaspora, was received in
Nouakchott by the Mauritanian head of state, Colonel Ely Ould Mohamed
Vall. [SPS]
12.02.07, Slovenia
Nadjat Hamdi, Polisario Front representative for Austria, Slovenia and
Slovakia, was received by the Slovenian authorities, who expressed
their support for the efforts of the UN towards a just and lasting
solution to the conflict in Western Sahara. [corr.]
22.02.07, UN
Faced with the worsening situation in the occupied territories, the
President of the Saharawi Republic asked, in a letter to the Secretary
General, Ban Ki-moon, for the intervention of the UN in order to
protect Saharawi citizens and the immediate release of Saharawi
political prisoners on hunger strike for over three weeks. [SPS]
31st anniversary of SADR, 26-27.02.07
On the occasion of the celebration of the 31st anniversary of the
foundation of the Saharawi Republic, which will take place in Tifariti,
in the liberated territories, several events are planned : in addition
to the traditional parade, an international conference of solidarity
with the Saharawi people, a conference of towns twinned with Saharawi
municipalities and a super-marathon between Bir Lahlou and Tifariti.
“We want to show that we have here a people, a liberated territory and
a government which take the form of the very essence of a state, as
well as broad support from the international community for this state,”
the Prime Minister pointed out.
“I would like to take this opportunity to repeat to you our declared
wish to contribute to the efforts deployed by the international
community towards arriving at a fair and lasting solution to the
current conflict in Western Sahara, in accordance with the legitimate
aspirations of the Saharawi people”, writes Alpha Oumar Konaré,
president of the African Union Commission, to the Saharawi president on
the occasion of the national day. [SPS]
[see also the message (french)
sent by Pierre Galand, president of the European coordination of
committees of support for the Saharawi people, to President Abdelaziz
on the occasion of the international meeting in Tifariti]
Numerous events have taken place or are yet to take place in relation
to this anniversary: reception in Geneva on 22, organised by the Swiss
committee of support for the Saharawi people and the Polisario Front
representation in Switzerland; demonstrations in Spain, among others in
Valencia on 23, round table discussion on 27, in Bilbao on 24, in
Vitoria on 27 etc., as well as in Italy, France, Australia etc
OCCUPIED
TERRITORIES AND SOUTH MOROCCO
10.02.07, Drug trafficking
According to the Spanish daily, La Razon, quoting a Moroccan daily, a
consignment of cocaine from Colombia was discovered on 2 February
inside a container belonging to a business whose owner is close to
General Bennani. The police subsequently seized 112 containers in
storage in the Dakhla region on Moroccan fishing boats. The principal
ship owners operating in this region are Generals Abdelaziz Bennani,
inspector general of the FAR, Housni Benslimane, head off the Royal
Gendarmerie and Abdelhak Kadiri, former chief of espionnage services.
The daily Assabah announced on 19.02 that a small plane had been
surprised near Dakhla, abandoning 78kg of cocaine after having taken
off in the direction of the Canary Islands. [La Razon] [M.Lakhal]
12-23.02.07, United Kingdom
The Saharawi human rights activist Ali Salem Tamek visited the United
Kingdom at the invitation of members of parliament. Tamek had talks
with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, members of
parliament, trades union figures and representatives of human rights
organisations and other NGOs. Tamek was able to talk with Nicole
Piché, coordinator of the All-Party Parliamentary Human Rights
Group ("PHRG"). [SPS]
12.02.07, Agadir
The Agadir court of appeal postponed until 16 April next the sentencing
of four Saharawi political prisoners imprisoned in Inzegan. They are
Najii Brahim, Mohamed Tamek, Driss Mansouri and Brahim Kajout,
sentenced on 19 December last by the court of first instance to four
years’ prison for the first two and to three years for the two others. [SPS]
12.02.07
The European parliamentary intergroup, in a statement, declared itself
deeply concerned by the constant violations of human rights in Western
Sahara, by Morocco’s autonomy plan and the sale of arms by Spain to
Morocco. It reaffirms the necessity to respect the right to
self-determination of the Saharawi people, and respect for human rights
in Western Sahara and asks the Spanish government to reconsider its
decision to sell arms. [Llamamiemto del Intergrupo del Parlamento Europeo para el Sahara Occidental]
13.02.07, El Ayoun
Two Saharawi political prisoners on hunger strike, Choubeida Laroussi Mohamed Salem and Cheikh Benga appeared in court.
13.02.07, Norway
The former political prisoner and winner of the Rafto Prize for human
rights in 2002, Sidi Mohamed Daddach, was invited to Norway by the
Rafto Foundation, Amnesty International and other Norwegian
organisations. Daddach launched an appeal to the international
community for solidarity with the Saharawi political prisoners on
hunger strike and for pressure to be applied to the Moroccan government
for their immediate and unconditional release.”
16.02.07, Spain
Demonstration outside the Moroccan Embassy in Madrid in support of
Saharawi political prisoners following the appeal from the Committee
monitoring Saharawi political prisoners and Associations of friendship
and solidarity with the Saharawi people. Another protest against human
rights abuses in Western Sahara takes place on 24 in Santander.
17.02.07
The Collective of Saharawi Human Rights Defenders (CODESA) launched an
urgent appeal to the president of the Human Rights Council, Luis
Alfonso de Alba and to that of the UN High Commission of Human Rights,
Louise Arbour for the “creation of a mechanism for the protection of
Saharawi civilians and the preservation of their fundamental rights,
notably freedom of expression, of assembly, of association and
movement". [SPS]
19.02.07, Arrest of a Swedish journalist in El-Ayoun
The Moroccan authorities proceeded to question a Swedish journalist and
photographer, Lars Björk, arrested after having taken photos of a
demonstration of young Saharawis waving the SADR flag. Interrogated for
4 hours in the central police station he was released in the night. His
passport, his press card and his camera were confiscated. Summoned to
another interrogation the next morning, he was finally forced to take a
bus to Agadir and to leave Morocco. According to Reporters without
Borders, he had been threatened by policemen: “If you are lucky you’ll
be expelled, if not you will be prosecuted for having links with a
terrorist organisation”. Björk refused to sign a record of his
interrogation written in Arabic.
Reporters without Borders denounced this intervention by the police
against a journalist who has traveled several times to the region. The
press freedom organisation sees there a attempt by the Moroccan
authorities to prevent any independent coverage of the situation in
Western Sahara and deplores the Ministry of Communication’s vagueness
around the criteria for accreditation of foreign journalists. [Reporters Without Borders, 20.02.07]
According the Moroccan agency, MAP, the magistrate’s court in El Ayoun
had ordered legal proceedings against the journalist for “instigation
of an illegal gathering on the public highway in connivance with
certain individuals”. [MAP, 21.02.07]
The Swedish MEP, Jens Holm, lodged a written question with the Council
about this arrest and the threats of expulsion from Morocco or legal
proceedings against him. He asks what measures are envisaged in order
to ensure fair treatment by the Moroccan authorities. [Svensk journalist tagen i Marocko, fråga till rådet]
[See also Bakchich info, 23.02.07, french]
20.02.07
The appeal court decided to postpone the sentencing of six political
detainees, including Brahim Sabbar and Ahmed Sbai, until 6 March
next. [Communiqué public des avocats de la défense du 6 février 2007 - El-Ayoun]
Demonstrations, repression
At the approach of the anniversary of 27 February street demonstrations
are on the increase almost everywhere, particularly in El Ayoun and in
Smara. Numerous arrests are indicated and demonstrators injured during
police interventions. It should also be mentioned that the Moroccan
authorities have put in place various means of distracting the Saharawi
population from demonstrating. For example the organisation of sporting
activities with free distribution of equipment on one hand, on the
other an offer of more courses at school and post-school level as
well as evening classes for female literacy etc.
24.02.07
Saharawi political prisoners are still on hunger strike since the start of the month.
08.02.07, Ireland
In reply to a written question from the MP, Brian O’Shea on the
EU-Moroccan fishing agreement, the Irish government replied that it had
supported the agreement because it does not prejudice the EU’s position
on the status of Western Sahara and on condition that the agreement is
for the benefit of the population of the territory, as envisaged by
international law.[English text, question 194]
30.01.07, Germany
German Green parliamentarians asked the government, in a statement, to
use their presidency of the EU to take in hand the development of a
common European position with the aim of improving as quickly as
possible the human rights situation in Western Sahara and to open the
way to the referendum.
[statement in German]
10.02.07
The 11th conference of Spanish parliamentary intergroups, Peace for the
Saharawi people, was held in Santander, in the presence of
representatives of intergroups from the regional autonomous
parliaments, the Senate and the European Parliament. In a statement,
the parliamentarians asked the central government to take the lead in
the process which should lead to the decolonization of Western Sahara,
Spain having a historic responsibility and the right the
self-determination being non-negotiable. They also asked the government
to suspend the sale of arms to Morocco. Andrés Perello,
Socialist member from Valencia, was appointed president. [Declaración de Santander.
Declaración de la XI Conferencia de los intergrupos
Parlamentarios Paz y Libertad para el pueblo saharaui , Santander, 10
de febrero de 2007]
12.02.07 Declaration
Questioned by La Tribune (Algiers), the American Ambassador for
Algeria, Robert Stephen Ford, expressed his views on Western Sahara:
“From our point of view, we voted for the Baker plan in the Security
Council, but it appears that this plan is not going to be executed.
Well, we think in that case that one cannot do nothing at all. We think
that it’s up to the Moroccan authorities, who reject the Baker plan, to
put something on the table to speed up the solution. We cannot
continue, for another thirty years, as we have done already.”
Concerning the referendum of self-determination, he declared: “We have
always said that the Saharawi people have the right to
self-determination; on this we have never changed our mind. We think we
must find a way to establish that right. Concerning autonomy, it is a
proposal which remains to be negotiated between the parties
concerned...we still support the principle of self-determination”.[La Tribune, Alger]
12.02.07, Washington
The Under-Secretary of State for political affairs, Nicholas Burns
received a Moroccan interministerial delegation in Washington, which
presented the Moroccan autonomy proposal for Western Sahara. Burns
called it promising and welcomed Morocco’s efforts to find a realistic
and realisable solution. He asked the Moroccan government to complete
its proposal and the planned consultation process. [US State Dpt.]
15.02.07, UN
In a memorandum sent to the Security Council, the Polisario Front
summarises the proposals made by the UN to settle the question of
Western Sahara and rejects the idea of autonomy being put around at the
moment by Morocco. The Moroccan proposal is “unilateral, illegal and
antidemocratic” and therefore manifestly does not constitute “the
mutually acceptable political solution ensuring the self-determination
of the people of Western Sahara”.[Full text ]
19.02.07, South Africa
South Africa, a member of the Security Council for the next two years,
renewed its support for the right to self-determination of the Saharawi
people on the occasion of a meeting with Mhamed Khaddad, member
of the National Executive of the Polisario Front, with the South
African Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ncosozana Dlamini Zuma. [agencies]
21.02.07, London
An inter-ministerial delegation from Morocco met in London with
Kim Howells, Foreign Office Minister in charge of the
Middle East and North Africa, to present the autonomy proposal for
Western Sahara. Howells declared after the meeting that “we share the
concern of the international community that the status of Western
Sahara should be resolved ... Great Britain will continue to support UN
efforts towards a political solution..» [News FCO, 21.02.07]
15.02.07
The president of the Saharawi Red Crescent, Yahia Bouhoubeini, in a
statement to the daily El Qods El Arabi, once again underlined the
seriousness of the food situation in the refugee camps and exhorted the
donor countries and international bodies to intervene swiftly to
redress the situation. He explained that the back up food stores had
not been renewed and that WFP had been content to extend until the end
of 2006 the convention delivering goods, which ended in August 2006,
instead of renewing it for two years as normal. [SPS]
16.02.07
The Spanish agency for international cooperation decided to deliver
3000 tonnes of emergency food rations to the Saharawi refugees.
Solidariyt caravans left from different regions of Spain laden with
foodstuffs collected by the population.
16.02.-04.03.07, Australie
Bundoora Homestead Gallery, Melbourne: Images of Western Sahara – A picture tells a thousand words (exhibition). The paintings by Saharawi artists living in these camps, show aspects of their daily lives and concerns.
Australia Western Sahara Association (Victoria) a mis sur pied une
exposition de peintures d'artistes sahraouis, de photographies des
campements et de victimes de mines.
Infos: http://www.bundoorahomestead.com, http://www.awsa.org.au
25.02.07, Ormaiztegi, Pays Basque, Course à pied populaire organisée en souvenir de Salem Hadj Mbarek: http://www.sahara-cross.com/
Documents
New web - Nouveau site
NEW
PUBLICATIONS
[External
links to newspapers may not be valid after some days because the
servers are restarted]
Français
>> Revue de la presse internationale francophone:
http://fr.groups.yahoo.com/group/revue-de-presse-sahara-occidental/messages
English
>> English publications on Sahara Update mailinglist: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sahara-update/messages
Castellano
>> Revista de la prensa en español: http://es.groups.yahoo.com/group/revista-de-prensa-sahara-occidental/messages
Nuevo libro: La última colonia española. Una mirada al
interior del Sahara Occidental de Luis Antonio González Tule,
Universidad Autónoma de la Ciudad de México.
Para conseguir el libro contactar con: editorial_uacm@yahoo.com.mx
Nuevo libro: Viaje al Sáhara Occidental : el Badía,
Mariano Sanz Navarro, Diego Marín Librero-Editor, 2007, 206 p. +
1 CD-Rom de fotografías.
Italiano
Attualità in italiano: El Ouali Bologna:
http://www.saharawi.org/saharawi.htm + Radio for Peace
http://www.radiokcentrale.it/du.htm
Arabe
Netherland
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