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Berlin,
18/01/2007 (SPS) The Director of the Middle East and Maghreb
Department in the German Foreign Affairs Ministry, Mrs. Sabine
Sparwasser, reaffirmed on Wednesday "the position of her country
advocating the necessity of respecting the international legality in
the Western Sahara and the respect of the Saharawi people’s right to
self-determination", a source from the Saharawi Representation in
Germany indicated.
Mrs. Sabine, who was giving a speech during the reception organised
on the honour of the Saharawi human rights activist and ex-political
prisoner, Ali Salem Tamek, declared she was "concerned" about the
striking testimony the activist presented, recalling that "the
Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) has always supported the
resolutions and recommendations aiming to enable the Saharawi people
to enjoy their legitimate rights ".
"The FRG voted in favour of the resolution approved by the UN
General Assembly in its last session, which called for the
decolonisation of the Western Sahara on the basis of the principle
of self-determination", she said.
The meeting took place at the seat of the Foreign Affairs Ministry
with the presence of the Director of the Department of North Africa,
Mrs. Berg and Polisario Front Representative in Germany, Mr. Jamal
Zakari.
The Saharawi human rights activist had before met, at the seat of
the Bundestag , with the spokesperson of the Commissions for Human
Rights and Humanitarian Aid, Mr. Straesse, and the spokesperson of
Cooperation within the Socialist Party’s Parliamentarian intergroup,
Mrs. Gabriele Groneberg.
Mr. Tamek presented a detailed report, before his interlocutors,
about the sufferings of the people of the Western Sahara for more
than 30 years, the Moroccan military wall that separates the members
of the Saharawi families, recalling that there is an ongoing
international campaign against this "wall of shame" that divides the
Western Sahara in two, he said.
On their part the German Parliamentarians expressed their concern
about the human rights violations in the Western Sahara and
reaffirmed the "need for an international action that would enable
the Saharawi people to exercise its right to self-determination".
They also declared they were willing to undertake concrete
initiatives regarding the question of the Western Sahara to raise it
higher in the agenda of the two Parliamentarian aforementioned
Commissions. They further called on their Government to play an
active role in this issue during its presidency of the European
Union.
On another hand, the Saharawi human right activist also met with the
President of the Green Party, M. Stroebele, who estimated that the
"failure of the UN in the implementation of its resolutions in the
Western Sahara, especially the Baker Plan harms its credibility".
Mr. Stroebele also called on Morocco to respect the international
legality through the organisation of a free and transparent
referendum that enables the Saharawi people to freely decide over
their future far from any political or military constraints. (SPS)
020/090/000/TRD 181340 JAN 07 SPS |
