SAHARA PRESSE SERVICE

Frankfurt, 06/02/2004 (SPS) The organisation of humanitarian aid, Medico International (MI), which head office is in Frankfurt, called for the exert "of more important pressures on Morocco to put an end to the unbearable situation of (Saharawi) refugees", reports a release recently published by MI, of which SPS received a copy.

"The number of these camps inhabitants is around 160.000 refugees totally dependent on international humanitarian aid, and many generations grew up in the five refugees' camps in the Algerian desert", noted the organisation, deploring that "these refugees frequently suffer because of repeated crisis".

Moreover, MI recalled of the decrease of World Food Programme (WFP) in its assistance to the refugees, and of the alert launched by Mr. Kofi Annan in his last report.

"The WFP recently declared that it was unable, to this date, to deliver more than the half of the quantity of basic alimentary products planed for 2002-2004 period, because of the lack of financial resources", while Kofi Annan also talks, in his report published on January 2004, "of a chronic malnutrition of the refugees", underlined the release.

Thus, according to Medico International, "refugees keep suffering because of a conflict that should be politically resolved", considering that "until now UN did nothing to force Morocco to respect international community decisions".

The organisation that provides humanitarian aid to Saharawi refugees since 1975, is mainly active in the medical supplying of the refugees. It created, for the UNHCR, "an important programme of supplying refugees with dental medicine, based on similar experiences in Guatemala", indicated the text.

Small mobile dental stations that can be transported to Western Sahara without any problem in case of refugees return to their country were delivered to sanitary stations in the refugees camps, where Saharawi technicians were trained to handle them, recalled the release. (SPS)

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SPS
MOROCCO/TAMEK/MASS MEDIA
Mr. Tamek calls for the sending of an international mission to investigate on human rights violations in Western Sahara

Madrid, 06/02/2004 (SPS) Human rights' Saharawi activist, Ali Salem Tamek, declared that the present situation in Western Sahara is characterised by "permanent violations of human rights" and called, in this respect, the international community "to delegate a mission to the region in order to put pressures on Morocco to force it respect Saharawis' rights".

Three times imprisoned for his human rights activities, during which he led 17 hunger strikes that deteriorated his health, the Saharawi activist hailed the last peace plan presented by James Baker, UN Secretary General's Personal Envoy to Western Sahara, that recognises to Saharawi people the "sacred right to decide on their future".

''I think that the new Baker's plan will allow Saharawis to decide on their fate. I consider that the plan is a path and an exit from the crisis", declared Tamek, the Member of the executive bureau of Forum Truth and Justice, in an interview to the Spanish newspaper "El Mundo" published on Thursday.

''Morocco constantly blocks the referendum (of self-determination in Western Sahara) and this delay prolongs the sufferings of my people. To me the respect of Saharawi rights to decide over their fate is sacred", he underlined.

The organisation of a referendum as soon as possible is "the only solution" to this "state of emergency, of isolation and military and media siege" in Western Sahara, he considered.

It should be recalled that Ali Salem Tamek was liberated in the last 7th January from Agadir's prison as a result to an international campaign in his favour, after a year and six months detention. (SPS)

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