WEEKLY NEWS


WEEK 09, 26.02.-03.03.1996


24-26.02.96
Third Congress of the Sahrawi Women
In a solemn Appeal to all nations of the world, all humanitarian organisations and all women and men who wish justice and peace, the Congress denounces forcefully the suffering and the inhuman conditions of life of the Sahrawi citizens living in the occupied territories, especially the women. The hard sentence of Kaltoum Lounat to 20 years of jail because she participied to a pacific manifestation shows this evidence.

26.02.96
63th assembly of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the OAU, Addis Abeba
The Secretary General of the OAU explains in his report the conditions and history of the intervention of the OAU at the UN Security Council last December. He repeats that a dialogue between the two parties is necessary "to reach a common platform about the contentious questions".
In his intervention Mr. Sadik, Minister of Foreign Affairs of SADR, speaking about the negotiations between Morocco and the Polisario Front, said that efforts, so little they are, have been started. Mr. Sadik met Mr. Meles Zenawi, Ethiopian Prime Minister and actual President of the OAU.

26.02.96
The new military commander of MINURSO is General Jose Garcia Leandro, Portugal.

27.02.96
South Africa's President Nelson Mandela called Colonel Kadhafi to speak about the Western Sahara conflict. According to Jana, he insisted on the necessity of a coordination between Libya and South Africa to find a solution for the problem of Western Sahara within the space of the Arab Maghreb Union.
According to Jeune Afrique, Mr. Mandela also sent a letter to President Ben Ali of Tunesia in order to tell him his deep concern about the situation in Western Sahara.

27.02.96
20th anniversary of the proclamation of the SADR
In his speach President Abdelaziz considered that "the Sahrawi people is nearby the achievment of his struggle". He denounced a military escalation in the last month by the Moroccan army with new arms and new troops arriving in the territory and also along the wall. He insisted on the necessity of direct talks with Morocco and appealed to the Moroccan government to engage rapidely direct negociations with the Sahrawis. He reaffirmed the will of the Polisario Front to continue the cooperation with the Identification Committee to find a solution for the actual problems. He declared that the last resolution of the Security Council 1042 gives a good opportunity to make a step toward a solution.
The Algerian Minister Mr. Said Abadou reaffirmed in his speach the support of Algeria to the Sahrawi people in his struggle for selfdetermination and renewed the Algerian appeal for direct talks.

27.02.96
The Polisario Representative in Bruxelles revealed important Moroccan troop movements along the Algerian border since 6 weeks. A military airport has been built near Zak, 80 km from Tindouf.
Bachir Mustafa Sayed, Sahrawi Coordinator with MINURSO, also spoke of a possible return to war. The Moroccan defense system along the border has been considerably reinforced, he added, the third and sixth division have been transfered to the region between Tindouf and Bechar.
About the direct talks with Morocco he revealed that an influent member of the Security Council makes efforts to organise a real dialogue between the two parties but without publicity.

27.02.96
The Sahrawi President announces the peseta Sahrawi, new official money of the SADR

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