SAHARA PRESSE SERVICE

New York, 07/10/2004 (SPS) The permanent representative of Algeria to the UN, Mr. Abdellah Baali, reaffirmed Tuesday in New York that Algeria "will never substitutes for the people of Western Sahara, who is the only master of his destiny, and that all the attempts of Morocco aiming at making of Algeria a party to the conflict are bound to failure".

Intervening before of the 4th Commission of the UN, during the general debates on decolonisation, Mr. Baali stressed that "the exercise by the Saharawi people of their right to self-determination through a free and fair referendum remains the only way to fair and final settlement of the question".

Morocco must negotiate with the Polisario Front "as it has done, when it negotiated and signed with it the UN's Settlement Plan in 1991, and as it has directly negotiated with it the Houston accords under the aegis of Mr. James Baker, former UN Secretary General's Personal Envoy for the Western Sahara, as Morocco's signature in the accord near the Polisario Front's one testifies", stressed Mr. Baali after having indicated that the Saharawi cause "is stronger and more alive than it has never been before, especially after the resounding diplomatic success it achieved these last weeks".

Moreover, the Algerian diplomat recalled that the territory of Western Sahara "comes under the resolution 1514, and is subscribed on the UN's list of the non-self-governing territories which decolonisation process has to be achieved".

On another hand, he underlined that Algeria "conceives peoples' right to self-determination as a credo, and has supported all African peoples, Asian and peoples of the Pacific, who were fighting for their freedom and dignity, to the point that Algeria had deserved to be called the Mecca of the revolutionaries".

Mr.Baali had nonetheless affirmed that Algeria "will continue providing full contribution to the efforts of the UN in order to reach a solution to the conflict, which is conform to international legality and which is in favour of the countries and the peoples of the region". (SPS)

SPS
SADR/EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT/SOUTH AFRICA
The European Parliament's Intergroup congratulates President M'Beki for the recognition of SADR

Brussels, 07/10/ 2004 (SPS) The President of European Parliament's Intergroupe, "Peace for the Saharawi People", Karin Scheele, addressed a message to South African President, Mr. Thabo M’Beki, "warmly" thanking him for his country's recognition of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) and affirming her disposition to closely cooperate with South Africa to defend the legitimate longings of the Saharawi people.

The historical decision of recognising SADR is wise and just, because "it symbolises the great desire of reinforcing the ties of friendship and solidarity between two peoples, Saharawi and South African, who had both delivered an exemplary struggle for their freedom and independence", she said.

The Intergroupe, which represents European Parliament's Members from many European countries, underlined its "permanent disposition to closely cooperate" with South Africa to defend Saharawi people's right to self-determination, conforming to international legality.

Mrs. Scheele said to be convinced that South Africa "shares the same conviction that a fair and final solution is the only way that can lead to a real peace likely to materialise the longings of the peoples of the Maghreb to progress and prosperity". (SPS)

010/090/700/TRD 071245 OCT 04 SPS

SPS
RASD/ESPAGNE
Renewal of the Platform "Catalonia with the Saharawi People"

Barcelona, 07/10/2004 (SPS) The Platform "Catalonia with the Saharawi People" was renewed Wednesday in the Catalan Parliament's seat to "launch actions aimed at bringing the international community to compel Morocco, through political and economical sanctions, allow the self-determination to Saharawi People", said former anti-corruption judge, Carlos Jiménez Villarejo, who participated to the ceremony.

The Platform is composed of Members of the European Parliament, representatives of all Catalan political parties, Trade unions, Youth Council, NGO's and associations of friendship with the Saharawi people and of different political and social organisations from Catalonia, indicated a communiqué publicised by the organisers, of which SPS received a copy.

Intervening during the ceremony of closure, the President of the Catalan Parliament, Ernest Benach, stressed on "the legitimacy of the Saharawi people struggle", recalling that "self-determination is a right to all peoples that should be respected around the world", stressed the communiqué.

Polisario Front Representative to Catalonia, Emboirik Ahmed, thanked the participants, particularly the Catalan Parliament, which organised this ceremony in its seat, stressing "the importance and the scope of this Platform, which reckon with the participation of all Catalan alive forces", who gather their efforts so as "international legality, UN's resolutions and human rights in Western Sahara prevail".

The Catalan Platform, which was constituted in 1997, has as an objective to "defend Saharawi people's right to self-determination" against "the Moroccan intransigence". It called the UN for "a firmer attitude to compel Morocco respect and collaborate in the enforcement of the international legality" as the best way to face "Moroccan intransigence".

The Platform also works to push all Spanish Government and Catalan political canters of power "to get clearly and implicated in the enforcement of the Peace Plan that would lead to the organisation of the referendum", indicated the same source.

It will also launch some actions, of all sorts, to "denounce the systematic repression perpetrated by the Moroccan Government in occupied territories and human rights violations to which the civil population is subjected", concluded the communiqué. (SPS)

010/090/666/TRD 071255 OCT 04 SPS

SPS
SADR/UN/CONFIDENCE-BUILDING MEASURES
UN congratulates Polisario for its cooperation in the application of the confidence-building measures

Geneva, 07/10/2004 (SPS) The United Nations congratulated the Polisario Front for its exemplary collaboration in the application of the confidence-building measures that allowed families visits exchange from both sides of the Moroccan military wall, which divide Western Sahara and its people to two parts, indicated an official source.

During a meeting of Saharawi and UN's officials, at the seat of the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), Thursday in Geneva, the UN’s officials hailed the cooperation of Polisario Front within the framework of the enforcement of all proposed confidence-building measures (telephone, mail, and families visits exchange), and informed the Saharawi delegation that the visits programme will restart soon and run until the end of 2004, and expecting the adoption of another programme for the year 2005.

The Saharawi party was represented by the Coordinator with the Minurso, M’Hamed Khaddad, accompanied by Mrs. Sénia Ahmed, Polisario Front's representative to Switzerland, while the UN's was represented by Mr. Nouicer Radouane and Philipe Lagouel, respectively HCR Regional Director and Principle Private Secretary of the UN Secretary General' Special Representative for the Western Sahara, it was indicated.

Morocco had erected, since the beginning of its military occupation of the territory, a wall of more than 2000 Km, surrounded by millions of mines and maintained by thousands of soldiers, which prevent the inhabitants of the territory from meeting together since 1975, it should be stressed. (SPS)

010/090/100/TRD 071332 OCT 04 SPS

SPS
SADR/SPAIN
Prime Minister receives Spanish Secretary of State for Cooperation on a visit to SADR

Chahid El Hafed, 07/10/2004 (SPS) Prime Minister, Abdelkader Taleb Oumar, received Thursday in Chahid El Hafed, the Spanish Secretary of State for Cooperation, Leyere Pajin, who is on a work visit to SADR.

"We recalled the Spanish Government that Western Sahara's question is a decolonisation one and a political problem that can not be considered only through a refugees in need for humanitarian aid point of view. It should rather be considered as a historical responsibility of Spain, who abandoned the (Saharawi) territory before it decolonise it", underlined Mr. Prime Minister in a statement to the press.

To Mr. Taleb Oumar, Madrid must move towards the enforcement of the Peace Plan and should "not search other solutions in other framework out of the UN. "There is a Plan called Baker Plan, it is a political solution that must be implemented", he stressed.

On her side, Mrs. Pajin indicated that she came "with a message of support from the Spanish people to Saharawi people", and with a will "to reinforce the cooperation at technological and humanitarian levels for Saharawi people". She stressed that the Spanish humanitarian aid to Saharawis "may increase this year two times compared to the two past years, what bares a clear message".

Addressing the two peoples, Saharawi and Spanish, Mrs. Pajin asked either "to have a good will to find a peaceful solution, just and fair for everybody"

Received at the Wilaya of El Aaiun by the citizens, Mrs. Pajin met with foreign NGOs working on humanitarian fields in the refugees' camps and also representatives of the Saharawi civil society.

Before that, she visited the Museum of War before visiting the storehouses of the Saharawi Red Crescent, where she noted "an epidemic shortage" in the stocks of distribution of the basic food of the refugees.

This visit intervenes after the adoption, last September the 14th, by the Congress of deputies (Second Chamber of Spanish Parliament) of a motion that called for the increase of the humanitarian aid to Saharawi refugees camps and for the reinforcement of the technical cooperation, particularly through the support of NGOs work in the camps.

The Spanish Government had announced, in July, the granting to Saharawi people of a 3.1 millions Euros aid for the year 2004. This sum represents an increase of 44 % compared to the aid of the year 2003.

Mrs. Pajin will be received Friday by the President of the Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz, before she finishes her visit in the evening. (SPS)

010/090/000/TRD 071825 OCT 04 SPS