WEEKLY NEWS

WEEK 09

24.02.-02.03.1997

24.02.97
Arrest

AFAPREDESA communicates that Mr. Manni Mohamed Shawi, a Sahrawi citizen aged 30, was arrested at Smara on Febr. 8 1997. This person was already arrested in Aug. 1990 and jailed for 7 months at the secret detention center of the CMI at El Ayoun (full text french).

27.02.97
"Marocanisation"

The town of El Ayoun will be connected to the Moroccan electricity network this year. A 30 millions $ project will be realized by the ONE (Office national d'ÈlectricitÈ) by construction of a 260 km long connexion from Tan-Tan (Morocco) to El-Ayoun. Actually the capital of Western Sahara is supplied by a local thermic power station (AFP).

27.02.97
Visit of Mr. Kofi Annan to Western Sahara

The U.N. Secretary-General will go in March to Angola and South Africa. As part of this trip a visit to W.S. is planned (AFP).

27.02.97
Sahrawi National Day

In occasion of the commemoration of the 21th anniversary of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, proclamed on Febr. 27 1976, the ambassador of SADR in Algeria declared: "The talks of Rabat must be continued by a dialog in order to implement integrally the peace plan". He added that the Sahrawis refuse on principle the Moroccan status quo and the perpetuation of the cease fire. The persistant attitude of Morocco, locking the peace plan, could lead to war again. This extreme solution "is not the alternative we wish to the actual deadlock".

27.02.97
Secretary-General report S/1997/166

Mr. Annan delivered to the Security Council the expected interim report on W.S.. Concerning the dialog between the parties he states there is nothing new, Morocco persists in its position. The new list of Sahrawi political prisoners detained in Morocco was handed to the Moroccan authorities. The HCR is preparing a pre-registration of the repatriation candidates and opened an office at Tindouf.
In conclusion Mr. Annan notes that the UN cannot force the parties to hold their commitments. He considers that all must be done to relaunch the political process. He asks if the peace plan can be implemented in its actual shape, if changes are necessary or if there are other ways to help the parties resolving the conflict ?
He will answer theese questions before May 31, end of the MINURSO mandate. In the interval the number of civil MINURSO members will be reduced again to save money.

28.02.97
New responsibles of the SADR government

Mr. Mohamed Abdelaziz, SADR President, nominates

• Mr. Bachir Mustapha Sayed as Minister of Foreign Affairs in place of Mr. MalaÔnine Sadik, who becomes Minister Councelor of the Presidence.
• Mr. Khalil Sid M'Hamed, former Minister of Education, replaces Mr. Salem Lebsir as Minister of Interior.
• Mr. Mohamed Salem ould Salek, former Minister Councelor of the Presidence, becomes Minister of Education.
• Mr. Sid Ahmed Batal, new, is in charge of the Ministery of Culture and Sport.
• Mr. M'Hamed Khaddad, responsible of Identification, takes the matter of the referendum and of the Coordination with MINURSO replacing Mr. Bachir Mustapha Sayed.
• Mr. Salem Lebsir is the new Director of State Protocol. Mr. Mohamed Touhami, former Minister of Culture, is the new Director of Cooperation attached to the Prime Minister. The Department of Cooperation changes from the Foreign Affairs to the Prime Minister.

The last SADR government was designated at the 9th Congress of the Polisario Front on Sept. 6 1995.

NEW PUBLICATIONS

• Vergessen in der Wueste, Wandler Rainer, Die Tageszeitung, D-Berlin, 3.1.97.
• Fata Morgana statt Autonomie ? Veiel Axel, Frankfurter Rundschau, D-Frankfurt a. M., 28.12.96.
• A quand l'identification ?, M. R., Le Matin, Alger, 27.2.97.
• L'ONU a failli, entretien avec l'ambassadeur de la RASD, Z. M., L'Authentique, Alger, 27.2.97.
• Blocage, El Watan, Alger, 27.2.97.
• Nations Unies, Conseil de sÈcuritÈ, Rapport du SecrÈtaire gÈnÈral sur la situation concernant le Sahara Occidental, 27.2.97, S/1997/166, 8 p.

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