SAHARA PRESSE SERVICE

Smara (occupied territories), 03/07/2006 (SPS) More than 9 Saharawi citizens arrested and 20 other tortured, while many other houses were ransacked during July in Smara, according to a monthly report by the Saharawi Committee for the defence of the human rights in Smara (CSDDHS), publicised on Monday.

The organisation also denounced the use of "violence" by the Moroccan forces of occupation as a "way of taking vengeance" against peaceful demonstrators, "in complete contradiction with the international norms", a report stressed.

The CSDDHS also called on the opening of "a process of investigation" on the violations committed by the Moroccan auxiliary forces, knowing that there are many judicial complaints were deposed to the Moroccan justice in Rabat y the victims.

The Saharawi NGOs finally launched an appeal to the international human rights organisations, associations and democratic forces in the world asking for their intervention "in emergency" to protect the human rights in the Western Sahara. (SPS)

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OCCUPIED TERRITORIES/REPRESSION

Arrest of three persons in the occupied city of Smara

Smara (occupied territories), 03/07/2006 (SPS) Three persons, at least, were arrested during a demonstration, which took place on Saturday evening t Sunday early morning in the occupied Saharawi city of Smara, claiming for "the immediate withdrawal" of the Moroccan occupation, concordant sources reported.

The Moroccan forces of repression "brutally" intervened to disperse demonstrators and arrested Saharawi citizens, Mouloud Bouregaa and Boutalha, who were led to the police station to interrogatories while another person, Wahabi Lehbib, was interpellated at about 23.00 GMT in the school, El Jadida, where Saharawi demonstrators changed the Moroccan flag wit the Saharawi flag, the same sources indicated.

On another hand, the Saharawi citizens organised a demonstration in the neighbourhoods of Tantan and Sakni (Smara). They raised the Saharawi flags and chanted slogans claiming for the Saharawi people’s right to self/determination and independence, the same source added. (SPS)

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SADR/AFRICAN UNION/MOROCCO/SUMMIT

Complete failure of Morocco in the African Union’s Summit in Banjul

Banjul, 03/07/2006 (SPS) Morocco underwent "a complete failure" in the African Union Summit (AU), which was held in the 1st and the 2^nd on June in Banjul, declared to the Saharawi press, Mr. Mhamed Khadad, member of the National Secretariat, adding that "the manoeuvres of the Moroccan diplomacy, aimed to undermine the Saharawi Republic acquisitions in Africa and to confuse the truth about the conflict decolonisation opposing the Saharawi people to the Moroccan aggressor, have failed and the Saharawi cause was reinforced".

"Neither the campaign led since months through the continent, nor the presence in Banjul of a Moroccan delegation chaired by the Moroccan Minister for Foreign Affairs in the backstage of the Council of Ministers and the Summit of the Heads of States and Governments, nor the support of some non African countries did stop the failure of Morocco in Banjul", Mr. Khadad stressed.

In this respect, he stressed that the Moroccan attempts aimed to amend the report of the President of the African Union were "purely and simply ignored".

"The paragraph contained in the report of the President of the African Union’s Commission, Alpha Omar Konaré, qualifying "the paralysis of the peace process in the Western Sahara is preoccupying" and calling the international community to give the conflict "a special attention so as the Saharawi people can exercise their right to self/determination conforming to the international legality and to the pertinent UN Security Council’s resolutions" was adopted by the African Union Summit, he stressed.

To Mr. Khadad, the Saharawi Republic, which was represented by an important delegation in this summit chaired by the President of the Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz, got out of the summit "reinforced by the solidarity showed during the debates as wells by the new engagement of Africa in favour of the exercise by the Saharawi people of their inalienable right to self/determination s the unique way to resolve the conflict, in addition to the interest accorded to the resistance of our people, victim to violations of their most fundamental rights under the Moroccan occupation".

"After the UN, Africa rejects the Moroccan thesis, anew, and rejects the manoeuvres aiming to blow up the process of process of self-determination and substitute it with unilateral solutions in complete disregard to the international legality", the Saharawi official said.

Senegal has tried to question a part of the report represented by the President of the AU Commission. "This attempt did not find echo in the Council of Ministers, despite the unconvincing support by Gabon, Chad and Burkina Faso", it should be recalled.

"The isolation of Senegal was further noted because the Saharawi question was supported by many countries, including Uganda, South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Namibia, which strongly reiterated their support to the self-determination of the people of the Western Sahara", it was added.

These countries also expressed their support to the report of the AU Commission President, "in the sense that this document corresponds to the facts observed on the ground", the se source stressed, underlining that "all delegations called to the respect of the international legality". (SPS)

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