SAHARA PRESS SERVICE

Panama, 01/09/2004 (SPS) The President of the Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz, called Latino America, Tuesday in Panama City, to play an active role in the support of the Saharawi cause.

Mr. Abdelaziz, who assists Wednesday to the ceremony of the inauguration of the new President of Panama, Martín Torrijos, estimated that "it is the appropriate time for Central America, through the establishment of diplomatic relationships with the SADR, to reject" Moroccan intransigent attitude in Western Sahara.

The Head of the State indicated that “the UN calls for the organisation of a referendum on self-determination of Saharawi people on the future of Western Sahara, since 1991. Mr. Baker had elaborated a plan that bares his name in 2003 to determinate the final status of the territory, but Morocco continues to defy the international community without respecting UN's decisions, what is a real rebellion".

Rabat, he stressed, will continue in its intransigent policy "as long as the international community and its bodies do not opt to a material pressure on Morocco to push it accept the enforcement of the resolutions of the Security Council, in particular the Baker Plan for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara".

To the President of the Republic, Morocco that persists in rejecting the independence of Western Sahara is in a position of "a rebelled country in front of international legality".

He also indicated that the next meeting of the Security Council "does not expect a major action that can meaningfully change the actual situation", except for the prorogation of the Minurso's mandate. (SPS)

060/090/000 011920 Sept 04 SPS

 

SPS
SADR/PANAMA/VISITE
The new President of Panama reiterates the support of his Government to support Saharawi right to independence

Panama, 01/09/04 (SPS) The new President of Panama, Martin Torrijos, recently elected, reiterated Tuesday in Panama City, the willingness of his Government to support Saharawi people's right to independence, indicated an official source.

Mr. Torrijos, who was receiving the President of the Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz, in margin of the ceremony of his inauguration, reiterated "the determination of the new Government to remain faithful to the … of General Omar Torrijos in the defence of the Saharawi people's right to independence and to strengthen the bilateral relationships between the two people", indicated the same source.

On his side, Mr. Abdelaziz saluted "the loyalty with which the people and the successive Government of Panama had defended Saharawi people's right to independence since the leader of Panama, the late Gen. Omar Torrijos, father of the new president, had recognised the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic and established special diplomat relationships with the Saharawi Government", he added.

The meeting between the two Head of States was attended by the President of Parliament, Mahmoud Ali Beiba, the Minster Councillor at the Presidency, Ahmedou Soueilem, and the Ambassadors to Venezuela and to Panama, Haj Ahmed and Salama Tayeb Hennan. On the Panamian side the vice-president and Councillor, Samuel Lewis, The President Councillor, Doctor. Ritter, and other high officials of the new Government, were present.

The ceremony the inauguration of the new president will also be attended by the Presidents of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, of Ecuador, Lucio Gutiérrez, of Taiwan, Chen Shui-bian, of the Republic of Dominican, Leonel Fernández, of Salvador, Elías Antonio Saca, besides the Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs of the USA, Colen Powell, French, Renaud Muselier, land the Spanish Prince, Felipe and his wife, Letizia Ortis, as well as many other imminent figures. (SPS)

060/090/000 011840 Sept 04 SPS

SPS
SADR/PANAMA/VISITE
The President of the Republic arrives to Panama

Panama, 01/09/04 (SPS) The President of the Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz, arrived Tuesday to Panama, to take part to the ceremony of inauguration of the new president of Panama, Martin Torrijos.

The Head of the State is accompanied by an important Saharawi delegation composed of the President of Parliament, Mahmoud Ali Beiba, the Minster Councillor at the Presidency, Ahmedou Soueilem, the Ambassadors to Venezuela, Haj Ahmed, to Mexico, Ahmed Mouly Ali and to Panama, Salama Tayeb Hennan.

In a statement to the international press at the airport of Tucuman in Panama, the President of the Republic paid tribute and "respect" to the father of the new president, the late General Omar Torrijos, to whom he acknowledged to have "established diplomatic relationships with our country while the Saharawi people was in the first years of its struggle against Moroccan colonialism".

He also underlined that the relationships between the two countries "are excellent", qualifying the election of the people of Panama of the son of the Gen. Torrijos as "a historical step" towards democracy and prosperity.

Been invited as honour guests to the Centre of the late Omar Torrijos, the Saharawi presidential delegation was received by a large number of politicians and men of letters, especially the President of the Revolutionary Democrat Party, Hugo Giraud, the Minister of Work in the new Government, Reinaldo Rivera, the former president of the Republic of Panama, Geraldo Gonzalez, and the sister of the late General, Mrs. Berta Torrijos among others.

The Head of the State put flowers on the grave of the late General and observed a minute of silence before of the latter's statue built in the middle of the centre.

In a speech he gave for the occasion, Mr. Abdelaziz recalled "the great actions that marked General Torrijos option for the defence of his country and other fair plights", in particular "his courageous position in favour of the Saharawi people's struggle for self-determination and independence". (SPS)

060/090/000 011628 Sept 04 SPS

SPS
SADR/USA/MOROCCO/POLL
A poll by American Channel PBS reveals that the majority of voters back the independence of Western Sahara

Houston, 01/09/04 (SPS) A majority of voters expressed their support to the independence of Western Sahara during in a poll organised by American TV Channel PBS, which presented last August the 19th a documentary and an interview on Western Sahara.

Asked if they think Morocco should pull out of Western Sahara, 56% of a total of 215.431 voters in the on-line poll, organised by the PBS from the 19th to the 30th of the past month answered a categorical yes, supporting that way the independence of the Saharawi people and condemning by the same Moroccan illegal occupation of the Saharawi territory.

The American Channel presented before a documentary on Western Sahara and an interview with former U.S. Secretary of State, and former Personal Envoy of the U.N. Secretary General to Western Sahara, James A. Baker III, M. James Baker, in which he clearly asserted that Morocco " will never receive the imprimatur of international legitimacy for its" illegal occupation of Western Sahara, estimating that it is " very much in Morocco's interest to find a way to work this thing out " within the framework of the international legality.

Further, Mr. Baker underlined that no " country in the world that as a matter of international law, international recognition, recognizes Morocco's claim to the Sahara ", considering that Morocco was behind the failure of all UN's efforts to peacefully resolve the conflict since its voluntarily acceptance of the initial settlement plan of 1999 and Baker's peace plan, which is unanimously supported by Security Council in its resolutions.

Moroccans “are evidently afraid", to face the self-determination by Saharawi people, he indicated, because the closer the organisation of the referendum got "the more nervous the Moroccans got about whether they might not win that referendum ", he explained. He further considered that even with his plan that broadened the electorate to calm down their irritation, yet “Moroccans concluded that they weren't even willing to risk a vote".

Mr. Baker also indicated that the lack of firmness of the Security Council is another cause that hinders the success of the so far proposed plans. He considered that the problem will be resolved id the Security Council move from " Chapter 6, that is consensus, to Chapter 7 where they can ask the parties, force the parties, one or both of them, to do something they don't want to do" voluntarily.

The American diplomat estimated that there will not be "the economic development in the Maghreb that you would get if there were a settlement of the Western Sahara issue ".

On another hand he estimated that the current situation should in no way discourage Saharawis in their struggle so as international legality be imposed, because " as long as the issue remains unresolved yes, I think there's hope ", he considered.

Morocco can not impose the fait accomplit in Western Sahara because it “needs to have international legitimacy attached to its claim ", what makes the organisation of the referendum on self-determination of the Saharawi people an unavoidable way to follow.

It should be mentioned that Moroccan Press Agency (MAP) had pretended that the poll organised by the PBS was favourable to Moroccan expansionist thesis two days before the closure of the vote, and was reproduced by Moroccan newspaper. (SPS)

060/090/000 010920 Sept 04 SPS

SPS
SADR/HCR/FAMILY VISITES
Polisario Front calls to the enlarging of the programme of family visits

Chahid El Hafed, 01/09/04 (SPS) Saharawi Coordinator with the Minurso, Mohamed Khaddad, called to the enlarging of the programme of family visits, which ended in the 31st August 2004, so as it can benefit to a higher number of Saharawis in the future. He also criticised the "obstacles" perpetrated by Morocco to hinder this humanitarian operation.

In an exclusive declaration to SPS, the Saharawi Coordinator with the Minurso declared that "the first phase of the programme of visit exchange between Saharawi families, already running for six months so far under the auspices of the HCR, has just ended this 31 August 2004". He indicated that it unfortunately benefited just to "1208 persons, of whom 619 from occupied territories and 589 from Saharawi refugees camps".

"Polisario Front expresses its gratitude to the HCR, Minurso and all those who contributed to the materialisation of this operation, which allowed Saharawi families, separated for 30 years because of the Moroccan colonial occupation -symbolised by the wall of shame-, to reunite again though for only 5 days", he nevertheless added.

Condemning "the obstacles" put by Moroccan occupation aimed at limiting the freedom of movement and expression of the beneficiaries of this humanitarian operation, he energetically criticised Moroccan authorities practices characterised by "the control and intimidation to which Saharawi human rights activists were subjected during all the period of the operation".

Moreover, Mr. Khaddad estimated that this programme had "put to evidence again the indefectible attachment of Saharawi people to its legitimate rights to independence and freedom. It undoubtedly proved the irrelevance of Moroccan allegations and the uselessness of its propaganda based on lies respecting to what it calls "the sequestered persons of Tindouf", that nobody believe anyhow".

The Saharawi diplomat hoped finally that "this operation take back as soon as possible and be enlarged and developed to benefit to a larger number of Saharawi families still separated by Morocco since 1975". (SPS)

060/090/100 010810 Sept 04