Saturday, October 21, 2006

AMINTOU HAIDAR



SPS
OCCUPIEDRRITORIES/FRANCE/Mrs. HAIDAR/VISIT
Mrs. Aminetou Haidar "very satisfied" about her visit to France
Paris, 20/10/2006 (SPS) The Saharawi human rights activist and ex-political prisoner, Mrs. Aminetou Haidar, declared, on Friday, she was "very satisfied" about her turn in France where she informed many political personalities and members of the civil society, as well as Medias, about the « worrying » situation of her country under the Moroccan colonial occupation.
Coming back from a visit to Paris, The Saharawi human rights defender has undertaken a turn to France, where she met with deputies, local officials, and associations, and also animated press conferences, as in the Havre and Limoges, the last stages of a turn she started since 4 October pursuant an invitation of Amnesty International.
In these two cities, where he was received by the Mayors as well as by the French Parliamentarian, Daniel Paul du Havre, she animated debates and pres cones in which she denounced "the repression that martyrizes the Saharawi people currently in resistance against the Moroccan occupation" to fight for its rights, which are internationally considered as legitimate.
She recalled that the Saharawi people actually count more than 500 victims of forced disappearance since 1975, the date of the Moroccan invasion of the Western Sahara.
She added that the Moroccan authorities "maintain in custody some 37 political prisoners, including 4 human rights defenders".
Before these two French cities, Mrs. Haidar visited the city of the Mans, following an invitation of the « La Sarthe Association of the Friends of the Saharawi Republic » on the occasion of the celebration of the Day of the Book of the city, The 25th hour". The city of Le Mans is twined with the Saharawi Daira of "Haouza" since 1982.
In Paris, where she was also received by Senator Robert Bret, Deputy-President of the Communist group in the French Senate, the Saharawi human rights activist also evoked the "Moroccan wall of shame", a 2.700 kilometres long military wall, filled with more than 3 millions antipersonnel landmines, and which "separates the Saharawi families, who are living because of this a psychological tragedy".
Mrs. Haidar called on the international community, because of the deterioration of the situation, «to create a mechanism of protection for the Saharawi people".
This visit to France comes within the framework of an international turn the Saharawi human rights activist has started to raise awareness of the political movements and the civil societies about the cause of her people. In this respect, she visited the USA, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Belgium and South Africa. (SPS)
010/090/700/TRD 201956 oct 06 SPS

It is time for the EU intervention

SADR/EU
Polisario asks the EU to intervene so as to end oppression in Western Sahara
Brussels, 20/10/2006 (SPS) Polisario Front asked the European Union to « urgently· intervene so as to put an end to the human rights violations and «all forms of oppression» in the occupied territories of the Western Sahara.
In a letter to the Heads of the European bodies, the Saharawi Minister Councillor at the Presidency in charge for Europe, Mr. Mohammed Sidati, affirmed that the persistence of the human rights violations in the occupied territories of the Western Sahara, has actually reached «unequalled extent, saving no social group», and thus the situation requires «an urgent intervention of the European Union».
One of the bases of the European Union's treaties, the Saharawi diplomat argued, is the respect of human rights, which is «a primordial condition for any country that signs accords with Europe, such as Morocco». Thus, he asked the EU to consider this base in its relation with Morocco.
The Saharawi Minister affirmed that it is with «complaisance if not the manipulation» of some Member States in the E that Morocco « hinders» the peace process n the Western Sahara in proposing, lately, «a so-called solution that goes apart from the Saharawi people's right to govern themselves and goes against their right to self-determination, the only unavoidable framework r a just and lasting solution to the conflict of the Western Sahara».
The «propaganda» spread by Morocco, Mr. Sidati adds, «can no more hide the reality that was unveiled by the report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Right», which has clearly described «the worrying situation» of the human rights in the occupied territories of the Western Sahara under the Moroccan occupation.
On another hand, Mr. Sidati expressed his joy about the attitude of the majority of the EU Member States, including the Finland, the current President, for their vote in favour of a resolution on Western Sahara in the UN General Assembly's Fourth Commission on decolonisation.
In fact, he recalled, although France, Spain and Portugal abstained from voting (but did not vote against), other important countries such as Germany, United Kingdom, Italy and the Nordic countries had voted in favour of the resolution which reaffirmed the necessity of the decolonisation of the Western Sahara. (SPS)
010/090/700 202003 oct 06 SPS

Polisario's representative to UN

SPS
SADR/MORCCO/UN
Annan's report establishes limits to the Moroccan illusions, Mr. Boukhari affirms
New York, 19/10/2006 (SPS) Polisario Front's Representative to the UN, Mr. Boukhari Ahmed, declared that the UN Secretary General's report on Western Sahara, publicised on Wednesday, "established limits to the illusions of Morocco to implicate in its operation aiming to legitimise its colonial occupation" of the Saharawi territory.
In the same time, he underlined, "the objective of the proposed negotiations (between Polisario Front and Morocco) must be the exercise by the Saharawi people of their right to the self-determination". He further noted that the UN Secretary General has stressed that the Security Council "remains attached to the self-determination referendum".
"These political elements that confirm the structure of the report put the conflict in its real nature as a problem of decolonisation and clearly established limits to the illusions of Morocco to implicate the UN in its operation aiming to legitimise its colonial occupation of our country", he said.
the UN Secretary general, the Saharawi diplomat stressed, has considered in his report that the international community "does not recognise to Morocco any pretended sovereignty on the Western Sahara and that the UN can in no way endorse or support a plan that excludes Saharawi people's right to free self-determination".
Mr. Boukhari considered such a position as a response to "the Moroccan pretensions and propaganda", since the UN Secretary General and his Special Envoy estimate "the idea of a referendum that excludes the option of independence as inconceivable".
Recalling the anterior Secretary General's report, publicised last April, Mr. Boukhari estimated that things were clearly set right when Mr. Annan indicated that "any kind of negotiations must be between the Polisario Front and Morocco".
Expressing Polisario Front's "satisfaction" about the statement of the UN Secretary General, Mr. Boukhari recalled that the "only reliable, realist and just solution that profits f the support of the international community, is the organisation of a self-determination referendum that enables the Saharawi people to freely chose their future" (...) "contained in the Settlement Plan and the Houston Accords Morocco signed with the Saharawi people, as well as the Baker Plan, which is approved by the Security Council".
"Such plans were the fruit of long direct or indirect negotiations between the kingdom of Morocco and Polisario Front", he recalled, adding that it is "necessary now, not to resume negotiations, but to implement the signed accords", knowing that "the mutually accepted and acceptable political solution is in these accords and was consequently clearly defined by the international community".
On another hand, the Saharawi Representative to the United Nations noted that the UN Secretary General's report on the Western Sahara to reiterate his "preoccupation about the human rights violations in our country by the Moroccan forces of occupation and offers to the Security Council many substantial proofs".
"He even goes further of this concern by affirming that he supports the recent recommendations of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights' report, which confirms that the populations in the occupied territories were and remain the target of a fierce repression and whose rights are violated as a consequence to the non-respect by Morocco of the Saharawi people's right to self-determination", he concluded.
The UN recommended direct negotiations between the Polisario Front and Morocco to ensure the self-determination for the Saharawi people, in a report publicised on Wednesday by the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, rappelle-t-on. (SPS)
010/090/000/TRD 191345 Oct 06 SPS

UK and Western Sahara Conflict

UK-SADR/REFERNDUM
Great Britain reiterates its support to Saharawi people's right to self-determination
London, 20/10/2006 (SPS) The British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Kim Howells, affirmed that the United Kingdom of Britain will take, during the debates within the UN Security Council on the question of the Western Sahara, a decisive role conforming to its position that supports the just settlement of the dispute within the framework of the UN and guarantee the Saharawi people's right to self-determination.
The British House of Commons will organise on Tuesday, for the first time in its life, a debate in its plenary on the question of the Western Sahara with the presence of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Margaret Beckett, has announced Mr. Howells, the Minister in charge for the Middle East, North Africa and Intentional Security, in his answer to a question by the Parliamentarian, David Drew, who asked about the British position on the situation.
The United Kingdom, underlines its "support to the efforts deployed by the UN Secretary General and his Special Envoy Peter Van Walsum, aimed to convince e parties to the conflict to accept a permanent political solution that provides for the Saharawi people's right to self-determination".
In his annual report on human rights, publicised last week, the British Minister for Foreign Affairs, stressed the need to find "a political solution accepted by the two parties" to the conflict of the Western Sahara, which includes Saharawi people's right to self-determination. (SPS)
010/090/700/TRD 201517 oct 06 SPS

Arrest of a Saharawi human right activist

OCCUPIED TERRITORIES/REPRESSION
Arrest OF A Saharawi human rights activist in the occupied city of Bojador
Bojador (occupied territories), The Saharawi ex-political prisoner and President of the Local Section of the Saharawi Association o the victims of the Flagrant Human Violations Committed by the Moroccan State in Bojador (ASVDH), Mr. Tahlil Mohamed, was arrested last Thursday by the Moroccan forces of repression, indicated a press release the Association publicised on Saturday.
Mr. Tahlil was "victim to atrocious torture and was forced to drink a mysterious liquid ,, which has dangerously affected his psychological state, indicated a source close to his family, before he was transferred to the Carcel Negra in El Aaiun".
The press release of the ASVDH talks about a dozen Saharawi citizens who were subjected to torture, intimidation, provocation and arbitrary arrest, adding that many Saharawi houses were ransacked.
The occupied cities of the Western Sahara are subjected since days to "very strong" pressures and are "completely" sealed by the Moroccan repressive forces, the press release recalled.
On another hand, three Saharawi students in the secondary school «Ghadi Ayad » in El Aaiun were arrested by the Moroccan forces of occupation during demonstrations organised in the different schools an secondary schools on the occasion of the anniversary of the first Martyr of the Intifada of independence, Lembarki Hamdi Mahjoub, who was killed under torture in the middle of a street in El Aaaiun by the Moroccan police, in October 2005.
The arrested students are: Sidi Zein Mohamed Moîlid, Sidi Low Sarakh and Mohamed Talbi, alias, Botna, who were "savagely" tortured by the Moroccan forces of repression because of their participation in peaceful demonstrations advocating the Saharawi people's right to self-determination.

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