SAHARA PRESS SERVICE

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Chahid El Hafed, 02/08/2004 (SPS) The President of the Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz, received, Monday at the Presidency, the Spanish Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Bernardino Léon Gross, who undertook a brief visit to our country.

On the Saharawi side, the meeting of the two parties was attended by the Prime Minister, Abdelkader Taleb Oumar, the Minister of defence, Mohamed Lamine Bouhali, the Minister Counsellor at the Presidency, Mohamed Sidati, the Minister of Education, Bachir Moustapha Sayed, the President of the Parliament, Mahfoud Ali Beiba and Mr. M'Hamed Khadad, member of the National Secretariat and Coordinator with the MINURSO.

On the Spanish side, Mr. Bernardino was accompanied by a staff composed of three members from Spanish Foreign Affairs Ministry.
 
The Head of the State offered a luncheon to the Spanish ministerial delegation, which have attended a popular meeting in Smara earlier during which the Governor of the Wilaya, Buchraya Beyun, recalled Spain of its juridical and moral duties in the decolonisation of its former colony: Western Sahara.

Mr. Beyun also recalled Spanish Government that Polisario Front welcomes any initiative that seeks a solution to the conflict within the framework of the international legality and on the basis of the Baker plan and the strict respect of Saharawi people's right to self-determination and independence. (SPS)

010/090/000/TRD 021530 AUGUST 04 SPS

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Mr. Bernardino : "The only plan is the Baker Plan"

Chahid El Hafed, 02/08/2004 (SPS) Spanish Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Bernardino Léon Gross, who is undertaking a brief visit to the SADR, estimated that to resolve the conflict of Western Sahara "the only plan is the Baker Plan" and that his Government works on this basis.

In a statement to the press after his meeting with the President of the Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz, Mr. Bernardino underlined that the conflict of Western Sahara is "an urgent problem that needs from the international community and in particular the UN to assume their duties together with the main actors" to the conflict.

He emphasised that his country works as "an mediator" to "contribute" to the settlement of this conflict as quickly as possible.
 
Arrived in the morning to the refugees' camps, Mr. Bernardino was received by the Minster Counsellor at the Presidency, Mohamed Sidati, and the Governor of the Wilaya as well as other national and regional political officials. (SPS)

010/090/000/TRD 021520 AUGUST 04 SPS

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The Wali of Smara rejects any solution to the conflict that does not respect Saharawi people's right to self-determination

Smara, 02/08/04 (SPS) Smara's Wali (Governor), Bouchraya Beyun, rejected any solution to the conflict that does not respect Saharawi people right to self-determination, calling the Government of Zapatero to honour its historical debt in the decolonisation of Western Sahara conforming to the UN's pertinent resolutions.

Intervening during a popular meeting organised for the reception of Spanish Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Bernardino Léon Gross, who is undertaking a brief visit to our country, Mr. Bouchraya estimated that "It is a duty of Spain, more than any other country, to work in a firm and transparent way in order to bring the conflict to an end".

To the Governor, "It is a duty of Spain more than any other country, for historical and political reasons, to work in a firm and transparent way in order to bring the conflict to an end and so as the peoples of the region can live in peace". "Spain, he said, can and must do a lot in this respect. It has got our trust for any just and democratic solution".

"We support any solution that respects the international resolutions related to the conflict, which take into consideration the respect of the UN's settlement plan as backed by the Security Council", he underlined, recalling that the conflict is a problem of "unachieved decolonisation that should be settled conforming to UN's Charter".

The Governor finally pointed out that there are many attempts to search alternative solutions that failed "because they carry within the germs of their failure: the disrespect of peoples right to self-determination". (SPS)

010/090/000 021509 AUGUST 04 SPS

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Bernardino: Spain is committed to a solution "that will allow Saharawi people free determination"

Smara, (refugees' camps), 02/08/04 (SPS) Spanish Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Bernardino Leon Gross, declared Monday in the Wilaya of Smara that his country is committed to thoroughly work for "a solution that will allow Saharawi people free self-determination through a referendum in conformity with UN's resolutions" relative to decolonisation.

Arrived Monday morning to Saharawi refugees' camps, Spanish Secretary of State was received in Smara by the Minister Counsellor at the presidency, Mohamed Sidati, accompanied with members of the National Secretariat, Parliament, Government and authorities of the Wilaya.

Intervening during a popular meeting organised on the occasion, Mr. Bernardino maintained that his country is "disposed to do all what we can to put an end to the enormous sufferings" of the Saharawi people. He underlined that the historical links between the two peoples, Spanish and Saharawi, are a sufficient reason for Spain to get actively involved in the contribution to reach a solution to the conflict in Western Sahara.

The Spanish official pointed out the speciality, in the history of his country, of the visit of a Spanish official to the former Spanish colony.

"It is the first time that a member of the Spanish Government comes here to meet with persons who are our brothers" (…) "I came here to express all these, but also to listen to you and to your Government and representatives and you can rely on us in all what you need", he said.

"To say the truth, when we came here we felt contradictory feelings, On one hand we felt a great joy discovering that Spain is present here with you through schools and buildings built by Valencians, Castillans and other people of the different Spanish regions", he indicated.

On the other hand, he stressed, he felt "a great sadness that you had spent 29 years and the international community has been unable to put an end to the enormous sufferings of your fathers and families during all these years", he deplored.
 
"I came here to transmit you a message of hope. There is a new Government in Spain and this Government wants to express its solidarity because we know too well your situation and your sufferings and we want to help put an end to this situation", he concluded. (SPS)

010/090/000/TRD 021507 AUGUST 04 SPS