From: John Clancy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Sun, 16 Dec 2001 10:22:49 +1100 To: Africa: ; Subject: Western Sahara Weekly news -Weeks 48-50 WESTERN SAHARA Weekly News original french WEEK 48 25.11.-01.12.2001 19-20.10.01 Euromed civil forum of Brussels In a resolution on the peace and security of the Mediterranean, the Euromed civil forum expressed the view that it is important for the question of Western Sahara "to be resolved because it is impeding the construction of the unity of the Arab Maghreb as an aspiration of all the peoples of the whole region. This resolution should be carried out on the basis of international law and the commitments of the United Nations and the European Union." 22.11.01 Peace Plan On the subject of the proposal of the SADR President to meet the King of Morocco on neutral ground, the MINURSO spokesperson, questioned by a journalist from As-Sabah, said he was waiting for a reaction from Rabat. If Morocco accepted the proposal, the meeting could take place in the USA or the United Kingdom. Also contacted by the paper, the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs did not deign to express an opinion/view/take a stand. (26.11.01, As-Sabah, Moroccan daily) 23-25.11.01 27th European conference of support to the Saharawi people (continued) <http://www.arso.org/eucoco2001.htm> The annual meeting of solidarity with the Saharawi people took place with the participation of 75 associations and NGOs, 60 municipalities, 22 parliamentary delegations, eight trades unions. Among the many speakers coming one after the other to the rostrum, Danielle Mitterrand told the story of her trip to Morocco and expulsion from that country. Rigoberta Mench�, Nobel Peace Prize winner, expressed astonishment at the failure of the UN in the Sahara before the Saharawi President took the floor to bring up the events of the past year. He condemned again the Framework-Agreement proposal, supported by James Baker and Kofi Annan, and called for the defence of international law "incarnated in the peace plan". A message of thanks from Mohamed Daddach was read. Discussion in the workshops fell into three urgent issues: the strict implementation of the peace plan, respect for fundamental rights in the occupied territories and opening them to observers, and the alarming situation of humanitarian aid for the refugees, which certain institutions appear to be using for political ends. The route of the Paris-Dakar through Western Sahara, the Sahara marathon at the end of February, the initiatives of the newly created Trades Union Forum and support for political developments in Spain are the challenges of the coming months. 24/26.11.01 Incident A group of seven Moroccans, accompanied by three journalists, tried to get into the hotel where the conference was being held, although they were neither announced nor accredited. In their vehicle the police found various materials such as some spray paint, a big white banner and leaflets, which lead one to think that the aim of the members of the association Moroccan Sahara was to create trouble in the conference. The Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs called the incident an "act of unjustified and unjustifiable flagrant hostility towards Morocco and the Moroccan people", and expressed " the strong protest of the government ..." On the Moroccan TV channel 2M he exclaimed that "the whole of Spain has converted itself into a second Tindouf". The Spaniards only had "to put up tents in all their towns, whereas they are expelling Moroccan workers." SpainThe head of Spanish diplomacy "firmly" rejected the Moroccan version of the facts as well as the "uncalled-for" tone of the Moroccan note, regretting that the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs had given credence to versions designed to provoke a deterioration in relations between the two countries. 25.11.01 Spain In a reply to a parliamentary question, the Spanish government responded that it continues to defend and will go on defending the validity of the United Nations peace plan for the organisation of a referendum in Western Sahara, and that it will continue to cooperate to unblock the actual situation. 26.11.01 Human rights El Moutawakil Mohamed, secretary general of the municipality of Assa (southern Morocco), was transferred to Casablanca following a telex from the Ministry of the Interior. He is a Saharawi former political detainee, arrested in 1992 following the uprising of Assa. With 23 other young Saharawis, he then served a year's prison sentence. He is a member of the Truth and Justice Forum. As a mark of protest against this decision, employees of the municipality organised a sit-in within the municipality. The population of Assa, coming to show solidarity with the local government employees, were dispersed by the police, who proceeded to questioning. Danfour Ahmed Salem, born on 07.12.80 in Assa, was arrested two days later and imprisoned in Goulimine. He was accused of insulting the Moroccan state. He belonged to the group of young Saharawis, who observed a hunger strike in Assa from 01-05 October last (see week 40). The daily As Sabah confirmed the facts but did not speak of arrest. 26.11.01 UN In a declaration by its Jamaican president, Patricia Durrant, members of the Security Council expressed their support for the efforts in mediation of the personal envoy of the UN for the region, James Baker, and asked the parties to the conflict to abstain from any action which could aggravate the situation in the region. During discussion in a closed session certain members expressed their concern following the bloody repression of the demonstrations in Smara on 17 November, and about agreements signed between Morocco and oil companies, and the intention of the organisers of the Paris-Dakar to let their competition pass through Saharawi territory. The UN legal department is shortly to deliver a legal opinion on the legality or not of the agreements for oil prospecting. Boukhari Ahmed, Polisario Front representative in New York, said that Morocco "is realising that there is no further way forward with the absurd idea of the draft framework-agreement. For this reason, Baker and Annan must conclude that the idea is no longer valid". "This explains the absence of a report", he pointed out in an announcement made to EFE. 27.11.01 Security Council resolution S/RES/1380 (2001) <http://www.arso.org/S-res-1380e.htm> (PDF <http://www.un.org/Docs/scres/2001/res1380e.pdf>) The Council unanimously adopted resolution 1380 (2001), extending the mandate of MUNURSO until 26 February 2002. In the terms of this text, the Council asks the Secretary General to keep it informed of any new or important fact in an interim report due at the latest on 15 January 2002 and to give an update on the situation by 18 February 2002 . The Secretary General proposed, in his letter to the Council on 12.11, a technical extension of MINURSO's mandate for a period of two months only. 27.11.01 OMDH The Moroccan organisation for the defence of human rights, OMDH, expresses "its stupefaction at the violent intervention of the authorities on the occasion of the events which took place in the town of Smara on 29 October 2001 and arrests, proceedings and violations of freedom of political action following these events. The OMDH calls for the urgent setting up of a parliamentary enquiry, having regard to the strategic place which this region occupies and the serious social problems which abound there. 28.11.01 United States In a letter to President G W Bush, 15 Congressmen drew his attention to the dangers of war in Western Sahara following recent events which have occurred in the region. They ask him to use his authority to put pressure on Morocco to make it "honour its commitments and to take/adopt the route/way to a free, fair and transparent referendum". This letter was signed by, among others, Joseph Pitts, Donald Payne, Teodophus Towns, James A. Traficant Jr, Jim DeMint and Christopher H. Smith. (SPS) 28.11.01 The visit of the King of Morocco to Smara is "a new step in the escalation" and in the repression, in which Mohamed VI "involves himself in person" to "take vengeance" for the failure of his aborted visit at the beginning of November to the occupied Saharawi spiritual capital, Sid'Ahmed Battal, Saharawi Minister of Information declared in an interview with SPS. 29.11.01 Canary Islands The 5th congress of the Trade Union of workers in the Canaries (USO-Canarias) which was held recently in Tenerife, expressed its concern at the blockage in the referendum process in Western Sahara, denounced "the attitude of certain European countries, led by France, who continue to look for an autonomy solution contrary to the aspirations of the Saharawi people", and condemned "attacks on human rights" in the occupied territories of Western Sahara and call for the liberation of all Saharawi political detainees and disappeared. (SPS) 30.11.01 France In a letter sent on 16.11 to the French Prime Minister, the deputy Daniel Paul expresses his "disagreement with the support given by France to initiatives of publicity and the economy which contribute to a strategy of the fait accompli. I wish that our country would come down on the side of a response allowing the Saharawi people to choose its own destiny and to decide who crosses its own country and who exploits its wealth." The French Ambassador in Rabat, M. de Bonnecorse, questioned by La Vie �conomique, a Moroccan weekly, on the position of France on the subject of the "third way", answers: "My country puts the lasting stability of the Maghreb above everything (...). That is why we approve the report of James Baker and we support his method and his proposals. It was necessary to get out of the impasse. (...) The political solution which could be inspired by the plan which he drew up with patience, realism and imagination, is supported by the Security Council and the majority of countries, notably European and African countries. After over 25 years, it was imposing itself, it will impose itself." 30.11.01 Visit of the King of Morocco to Smara The Moroccan king went to Smara for a 3 hours visit. COMING UP.. . 05.12.01, Sesto Fiorentino, Italia: L'Associazione "Ban Slout Larbi" organizza una cena di solidariet� con il Popolo Saharawi che rientra nel ciclo di iniziative �Avvicinarsi al Natale in un percorso di solidariet�...�. La cena si svolger� alle ore 20,30 presso il Circolo ARCI �Salone Rinascita� di via G. Matteotti, 18. Prenotazioni: tel. 0554487677. 15.12.01: piazza Vittorio Veneto sar� presente il �Camion della Solidariet� diretto alle tendopoli Saharawi. In questa occasione sar� possibile consegnare materiale didattico e giocattoli per i bambini saharawi. Associazione "Ban Slout Larbi" Route of the Dakar 2002 rally 28.12.01 - 1th stage: Arras - Ch�teauroux 29.12.01 - 2nd stage: Ch�teauroux - Narbonne 30.12.01 - 3rd stage: Narbonne - Madrid 31.12.01 - 4th stage: Madrid - Rabat (embarkation in Algeciras) 01.01.02 - 5th stage: Rabat - Er Rachidia 02.01.02 - 6th stage: Er Rachidia - Ouarzazate 03.-04.01.02 - 7th stage: Ouarzazate - Tan Tan -Western Sahara - Zouerate (Mauritania) ..... english - Deserted in the desert, Confront, War onWant, London, Issue 3, Autumn 2001, 8 p. - Fear in a handful of dust, Myles Quin, Dazed and Confused, British youth magazine, December 2001, pp. 96-105. (After 25 years in the wildnerness waiting for justice, the people of Western Sahara in Algeria are betrayed, angry and ready for war. Is hypocrisy and greed of the Western elite creating the terrorists of tomorrow? ) Documents from the 27th European conference of support to the saharawi people, Sevilla 23-25.11.01 - Speech of President Mohamed Abdelaziz, 23.11.01 <http://www.arso.org/abdel231101.htm> - Intervention of the president of the European Parlament Intergroup M. Kessler, 24.11.01 <http://www.arso.org/eucocomk.htm#Ancragee> - Message from Mohamed Daddach <http://www.arso.org/eucocommessagese.htm> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A R S O Association de soutien a un referendum libre et regulier au Sahara Occidental Address: cp 2229 CH-2800 DELEMONT 2 E-mail: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] URL: http://www.arso.org Tel.:+41 32 422 87 17 Fax: +41 32 422 87 01 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ **** from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subject: Western Sahara Week 50, 2001 Delivered-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] X-Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: arso <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Sat, 15 Dec 2001 19:58:12 +0100 Subject: [western-sahara-news] Weekly news, week 50/ 2001 Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-- > Unlimited calling with 3-way conferencing. Only $1/Mo. with CrystalVoice! FREE trial. Click Here. http://us.click.yahoo.com/Hb1xVB/HxbDAA/ySSFAA/aJkolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~- > WESTERN SAHARA Weekly News original french WEEK 50 09.-15.12. 2001 20.11.-03.12.01 Prisoners of war Two delegates from the International Red Cross (ICRC), one of whom is a psychiatrist, visited Moroccan prisoners of war in the hands of the Polisario Front. From a total of 1,477 prisoners still in captivity, the delegates saw 680, among whom 35 civilians. One prisoner had died and another escaped since the last visit in May. The ICRC is extremely concerned by the very long periods these men have been held, which for 1,028 of them exceeds 20 years. The oldest of the prisoners has begun his 27th year of captivity. In view of the age and health of the prisoners, the time for which they have been held, and the requirements of international humanitarian law, the ICRC repeats its call for all prisoners to be released immediately, starting with the most vulnerable. (ICRC statement engl: <http://www.icrc.org/icrceng.nsf/c1256212004ce24e4125621200524882/3dcc5 bc1095c3722c1256b1b0038ec4a?OpenDocument>) 04.12.01 Sentence The magistrate's court in Goulimine (southern Morocco) sentenced the young Saharawi, Danfour Ahmed Salem, to two months imprisonment and a fine of 1000 dirhams. Danfour was arrested on 27.11.01 and accused of "insulting the Moroccan state" for having participated in a demonstration of protest against the transfer to Casablanca of El Moutawakil Mohamed, secretary general of the municipality of Assa, former political detainee and member of the Truth and Justice Forum, Sahara branch. Danfour had also taken part at the beginning of October in a hunger strike at the headquarters of the trade union CDT in Assa, to demand a job. (statement from BERDHSO 09.12.01 english <http://www.wsahara.net/2001/danfour.html>) 08.12.01 Morocco-Spain The secretary general of the PSOE will undertake a controversial visit to Morocco from 17-19.12, planned a long time ahead, but postponed following the recall of the Moroccan ambassador to Madrid at the end of October. In an interview with a Moroccan weekly, Zapatero declared that his party supports a solution accepted by the interested parties which takes account of "human rights and the historic rights of the Saharawi people", but in which Morocco would have central involvement "because no solution could be successful without the support of Morocco". What is essential for the Spanish socialist leader is that Spain should not be an obstacle to the final solution of the problem. The Spanish government considers this visit - a meeting with Mohamed VI is also on the agenda - as a "serious interference" in the external politics of Spain. The Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs has asked the secretary general of the PSOE to reconsider his intention of visiting Morocco, as diplomatic relations between the two countries have not yet returned to normal. In an open letter to Zapatero, Jos� Taboada, coordinator of solidarity associations with the Saharawi people, emphasised the necessity of a special relationship between Spain and Morocco, which should not, however, harm the legitimate right of the Saharawi people to self-determination. 09.12.01 Tragic accident A Spanish exchange doctor on a mission to the refugee camps died as a result of a car accident. His name is Dr Juan Antonio Gonzales Caraballo, a cardiologist from the Hospital ''Virgen del Rocio'' in Sevilla. Two other passengers were injured. The paediatric hospital of Chahid El-Hafed will now carry the name of the late Juan Antonio Caraballo, the SADR government decided. 10.12.01 Morocco human rights Nearly 400 activists from the Moroccan Association of human rights (AMDH) took part in a sit-in in the centre of Rabat on the occasion of the International Day of human rights, calling on the authorities to throw light on the abductions, torture and political assassinations perpetrated in the years 1960-1990. High ranking officials from the army and police figure on a list of 45 people which has just been published by AMDH, which claims to hold "strong presumptions" of responsibility on them for these cases of assassination, abduction and torture. It calls for the opening of judicial inquiries on the question. The weekly magazine, Demain, which published this list as a front page headline on 8 December, was seized. 10.12.01 UN The UN General Assembly adopted without a vote resolution A/RES/56/69 on the question of Western Sahara following the proposal of the Fourth Committee.. 10-11.12.01 Nobel Prize In the events surrounding the award of the Nobel Prizes in Oslo, the question of Western Sahara was raised on several occasions. On the day of the Nobel Peace Prize, 10.12.01, earlier Peace Laureates Rigoberta Mench� and Jos� Ramos-Horta addressed the traditional Peace Prize March in Oslo. Both Laureates used the opportunity to mention the case of Western Sahara as one of the main challenges to the UN's credibility. The third speaker was Jan Egeland, under- secretary-general of the UN and Annan's personal envoy & negotiator in Colombia. In an interview <http://www.klassekampen.no/cgi-bin/nyheter.pl/2001/12/1002.html> in the Norwegian daily Klassekampen, the Coordinator of the Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara, Mr. Ronny Hansen warned that if the UN abandons the referendum it could lead to renewed war in Western Sahara and would be in breach of international legality. "Kofi Annan is playing a risky game and could spark a wider, regional conflict", he said. "Kofi Annan grew up in the the first African country to be decolonised. He is now on the verge of impeding the decolonisation of the last colony on the African continent. [...] The original Settlement Plan is still in force and it is depressing that Mr. Annan and the UN haven't shown enough will and steadfastness to honour their own promises and commitments". Rigoberta Mench� (Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 1992, Guatemala) and Jos� Ramos-Horta (Nobel Peace Prize laureate 1996 and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, East Timor) participated in a panel together with Pedro Pinto Leite, of The International Association of Jurists for Western Sahara, at a joint press conference under the heading "The UN's credibility at stake in Western Sahara". (11.12.01) The speakers expressed concern for the UN's unfulfilled promise to decolonise Western Sahara. Rigoberta Mench� said "it's time to break the wall of silence and complicity surrounding Western Sahara and put and end to the illegal and brutal Moroccan occupation." Ramos-Horta highlighted his admiration for the courage, steadfastness and dedication shown by the Saharawi people in their struggle for a free homeland. Ramos-Horta has visited the Saharawi refugee camps in Algeria twice, in 1997 and in 2001. He said: "The Morocccan occupation has caused enormous suffering, exile and loss of life for both the Saharawi and Moroccan peoples, and scarce resources have been squandered through war and occupation." He called on the Moroccan king to show flexibility and statesmanship and do what's right: allow international legality to take its course through a free, fair and transparent referendum. Pedro Pinto Leite spoke on "Western Sahara: The legal imperative of self- determination and lessons learnt from East Timor". He said: "If the UN decides to follow the path of the "Framework Agreement", violating thus the principle of non-discrimination and its own norms on self-determination, it will [...] lose credibility and weaken its ability to solve other conflicts through peaceful means." In attendance were several MPs, national and international press and specially invited NGO representatives. The conference was organized jointly by Norwegian MP Marit Nybakk, The Norwegian Humanist Association and The Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara. Six former Nobel Peace Prize Laureates signed an appeal to the Secretary-General of the United Nations Mr. Kofi Annan and the President of the UN Security Council entitled "Western Sahara referendum is the only path to peace". The appeal states that " The credibility of the United Nations is at stake in Western Sahara.", and that: "An abandonment of the referendum plan in Western Sahara would constitute a betrayal of the inalienable right of the Saharawi people to self- determination." In the statement, the laureates refer to the contracts between Morocco and companies TotalFinaElf and Kerr McGee for oil exploration in occupied Western Sahara as "illegal" and call on the UN to intervene. If not, the UN "could be interpreted as legitimizing Morocco's occupation of the territory". The Laureates urged the UN to "defend the integrity of the United Nations by continuing to strive for the strict implementation of the referendum". They also voiced concern for serious human rights abuses in occupied Western Sahara and shortages of food and other necessary supplies in the Saharawi refugee camps in Algeria. The appeal was signed by: Jos� Ramos- Horta (1996, East Timor), Rigoberta Mench� Tum (1992, Guatemala), Oscar Arias S�nchez, (1987 Costa Rica), Adolfo Perez Esquivel (1980, Argentina), M�iread Maguire (1976, Northern Ireland) and Cora Weiss for the International Peace Bureau (1910). For the full statement, see Sahara Update message no. 509: "Media Release: Nobel Laureates Issue Appeal to Kofi Annan and the UN over Western Sahara": <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sahara-update/message/509> Pierre Galand, in the name of the Belgian Committee of support for the Saharawi people and of the European Coordination of support for the Saharawi people, sent a message along the same lines to Kofi Annan. <http://www.arso.org/eucocoannan2001.htm> The International Committee of the Socialist Peoples Party of Denmark sent letters to the Danish UN-Association (FN-forbundet) and to The UN-Information Office for the Nordic Countries, asking the UN to bring about the referendum in Western Sahara and to renounce any other solution which does not respect the right to self-determination. The Western Sahara Campaign UK also sent a letter to Kofi Annan <http://www.arso.org/wscannan2001.htm> saying that the award of the Nobel Peace Prize should strengthen the moral authority of the UN to champion just causes such as the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination. 10.12.01 Polisario Front Meeting in an ordinary session, the National Secretariat of the Polisario Front once again noted that "any solution to be viable, fair and lasting in Western Sahara must respect the choice of the Saharawi people". It appealed to the European Union to "commit itself in an active way for a fair and lasting solution to the Moroccan-Saharawi conflict" so as to contribute to the "reinforcement of stability and the development of cooperation" in the Maghreb region. (Saharawi National radio, SPS) 11.12.01 Diplomacy During his visit to Morocco, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State William Burns said Washington fully supported the efforts of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's special envoy James Baker to find a solution to the Western Sahara dispute. 13.12.01 European Parliament - visit cancelled The delegation of the EP, which went to Algeria and to the Saharawi refugee camps at the beginning of November, was to continue its mission to Morocco and to the occupied territories from 18-22 December. Although the date had been confirmed and six MEPs had their tickets ready, the leader of the delegation, Mrs Catherine Lalumiere, received on 13 December a letter from the president of the Moroccan parliament, which cancelled the visit, giving the excuse of obligations relating to Ramadan. He suggested postponing the visit until the third week of January, which coincides with a session of the European Parliament, a period when it would be impossible for the MEPs to be traveling abroad. The visit was to begin in El Ayoun, where meetings with members of civil society had been arranged, and was to continue in Rabat. Morocco shows itself to be singularly selective in its choice of guests... SOLIDARITY 14.12.01, Extremadura: "Ma�ana en el S�hara", a book of photographs of the Saharawi refugee camps by Juanma Gil Se�or�n et Holok, will be shown to the public in two exhibitions. It was put together by Mortirolo, a business in Caceres specialising in publishing works of art photography. www.mortirolo.com NEW PUBLICATIONS [External links to newspapers may not be valid after some days because the servers are restarted] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A R S O Association de soutien a un referendum libre et regulier au Sahara Occidental Address: cp 2229 CH-2800 DELEMONT 2 E-mail: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] URL: http://www.arso.org Tel.:+41 32 422 87 17 Fax: +41 32 422 87 01 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
