SAHARA PRESS SERVICE

Saragossa, 01/07/2004 (SPS) Polisario Front's representative to Aragon, Ali Mokhtar, declared before of the Parliament of this autonomous region, that Moroccan persistence in rejecting all peaceful solutions to the conflict in Western Sahara, is due to the support of France within Security Council, reported Spanish press agency EFE in its Tuesday's diffusion.

Intervening in front of Aragon's Parliament Commission for requests and human rights, Mr. Moukhtar, underlined that " Moroccan stubbornness has always relied on the support of France", which does not miss an opportunity to express its traditional support to Moroccan expansionist thesis to the point of using its "right to Veto" to miscarry any international effort aimed at the settlement of the conflict.

"Morocco which has no other idea but annexing the Saharawi territory, rely on France Veto", while the latter country has always proved, whenever the settlement of Western Sahara is concerned, that it is "indifferent to the need of stability and establishment of peace" in the Maghreb, he added.

Moroccan attitude and intransigence in front of UN's decisions, which is a real threat to peace and stability in the Maghreb, should exhort international community to make use of the seventh chapter of UN's Charter, "so as Saharawi people express their will by votes", and so as international legality be respected, stressed Mr. Mokhtar.

Morocco has, so far, hindered all peaceful solutions proposed by UN for a fair and final settlement to Western Sahara's conflict, the Baker Plan been the latest "reasonable compromise", also have been sabotaged by Moroccan expansionist regime, what pushed Kofi Annan's former personal envoy to Western Sahara "to resign his post after seven years of patience" and vain efforts, claimed the Saharawi diplomat.

He, further, called Aragon's Parliament to support the peace plan for the self-determination of Saharawi people, as a reasonable plan for the settlement of the conflict, recalling that Security Council will meet this October to study the situation in Western Sahara again.
 
On another hand, many speakers from the different Aragon's parliamentary groups confirmed that the Spanish position is "very clear", that Spain has always supported Saharawi people's claims and that it called for "the respect of the Peace Plan".

The nationalist, Gonzalo González, asserted however that the "Spanish State" has got a debt to pay, having been the administrative power of the territory before its illegal occupation by Morocco, regretting the fact that "Spain has been a bad colonial power compared to other countries which recognised their debts towards their colonies like Portugal", as an example. (SPS)

060/090/100 011300 July 04 SPS

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SADR/NATURAL RESOURCES/CAMPAIGN
An international campaign against plundering of hydrocarbons in Western Sahara

Chahid El Hafed, 01/07/2004 (SPS) An international coalition unleashed a new campaign against illegal plundering of natural resources in Western Sahara by Dutch company, FUGRO N.V, and by Robertson Research International.

In a press release publicised on Wednesday by the coalition, Dutch and British companies involved in geological exploration of the seabed of Western Sahara, will become the target of an international campaign led by the Norwegian, Dutch and UK branches of the international coalition for the protection of the natural resources of Western Sahara.

The activists of this coalition, while considering these companies as accomplices to Moroccan "illegal occupation" of Western Sahara, had called the Shareholders of the up mentioned companies to contact the "legitimate representative of the Saharawi people", Polisario Front, for any planning of seismic researches in the region, or to renounce any activities there.

"We demand a guarantee from Fugro N.V. that no future exploration activities will be carried out in Western Sahara without the consent of the Saharawi people, and that the data collected will be handed over to their representatives, the Polisario Front", declared Mrs. Liesbeth de Haan, from the Netherlands Foundation for the right to Self-Determination for the Saharawi people, adding that "Our support groups in Holland, Wales and England have now requested urgent meetings with the mother company and the two subsidiaries".

"The companies have been advised that any current and future involvement in the exploration of hydrocarbons in Western Sahara is illegitimate, politically improper and ethically irresponsible", she added.
 
"We are disillusioned with the lack of transparency in the operations of these companies, and their unwillingness to disclose any specific information about their activities. We interpret their silence as a deliberate strategy to try and stall for time until their illegal activities have been completed", underlined Mrs. De Haan.

Because SADR's Government, considers all activities of the kind as non authorised, illegal and an insult to the Saharawi people, the organisations called "Fugro to either act in a responsible manner and cease its activities immediately or accept the full consequences for these actions", concluded the communiqué.

The organisers of this international campaign called all organisations, institutions and individuals to take part to the campaign so as to stop the illegal exploitation of the natural resources of Western Sahara by Moroccan expansionist regime. (SPS)

020/090/000/TRD 011251 Jul 04 SPS