SAHARA PRESS SERVICE

Chahid El Hafed, 02/03/2004 (SPS) This Mars the 5th will be marked by the beginning of the first visits between Saharawi families that have been parted for 28 years because of the occupation of their territory by Moroccan colonial forces, the latter having erected a defensive wall, of more than 2000 Km, filled with mines, armoured tanks and heavy artillery, and protected by more than 120.000 soldiers, announced an official source.

United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), announced having received agreement of Moroccan occupation's authorities and Polisario front to start the organisation of visits that should allow Saharawis from both sides of the wall to meet for 5 days in familial atmospheres, given a UN's let-pass
and necessary guarantees to personal security and free movement.

Morocco did only allowed the inhabitants of El Aaiun to take profit of this operation, while Polisario Front announced free access to the legal forms of the operation to all the refugees' camps inhabitants, to be directly registered by UNHCR's employees, it was indicated.

The UNHCR distributed a note to explain the necessary conditions any candidate has to have to take profit of the operation. The first degree parents (father, mother, husband, wife, son, daughter, sister, brother) are the only accepted to profit of this occasion. The visitors will be taken and accompanied by
UNHCR to their destinations by UN's airplanes and by cars of the organisation in the occupied cities and in the refugees' camps.

The organisation will also put some phone numbers of emergencies under the disposal of these persons, who will fly on Fridays to return back on Wednesdays.
 
Polisario Front ''favourably receives this UN's initiative'', announced an official source, considering that ''this humanitarian initiative will allow families, parted by the wall of disgrace for more than 25 years, to meet though for a short time''.

''Another important point, these visits will contribute in contradicting Moroccan government's propaganda, based on the so called Saharawi refugees' detention'', stressed the same source, considering that the visits "will unveil the real face of Moroccan occupation, which is maintaining Saharawi territory under its colonial yoke''.

''The real detainees are those who maintained for more than 28 years in cities under permanent siege, forbidden to foreign mass media, observers and independent NGOs'', added the same source.

To Polisario Front these confidence-building measures should be the starting point to the opening of the Saharawi territory to allow international independent observers to see by themselves ''the atmosphere of terror and repression prevailing on Western Sahara's occupied territories, as well as the difficult
conditions of the life imposed on our citizens under occupation''.

Polisario Front hopes, nevertheless, that this initiative ''be a step towards the fair, final and lasting settlement to the conflict, which can only be through the organisation of a free, fair and transparent referendum of self-determination under the auspices of UN, able to put and end to the tragedy of Saharawi
people and to establish an atmosphere of peace and stability to the benefit of all the people of the region''.(SPS)

010/090/100/TRD 021921 Mar 04 SPS