SAHARA PRESSE SERVICE

Chahid El Hafed, 08/06/2005 (SPS) The President of the Saharawi Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz, received, on Tuesday at the Presidency, the Spanish Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Bernardino Léon Gros, who is undertaking his third visit to the region since the accession to Power of the Spanish Socialist Party in 2004.

The meeting were concerned with "the historical and moral responsibility of Spain in the decolonisation of Western Sahara, which will only be completed when Saharawi people can freely decide on their future through a referendum on self-determination", the Member of Polisario Front’s National Secretariat, Mr. M’Hamed Khadad, declared to the press.

The President of the Republic underlined "the emergency of opening the Saharawi territory to international observers and to the Medias" and noted "with satisfaction" the Spanish decision to send a Parliamentary delegation to a visit to Western Sahara. He stressed, however, that "this should not close the door to other Spanish or international delegations that express the desire to investigate about the sufferings of the Saharawi people in the face of Moroccan repressive colonial machine", he indicated.

The Head of the State stressed that "the main role is the duty of the UN, which must reactivate its work, taking into consideration that we have here a question of decolonisation which solution is in the enforcement of its decision that recognise Saharawi people’s right to self-determination", Mr. Khadad said.

The meeting of two hours between the two parties was attended by Saharawi Prime Minister, M. Abdelkader Taleb Oumar, the Minister for Defence, Mr. Mohamed Lemine Bouhali, the Coordinator with the Minurso, Mr. M’Hamed Khadad and the Counsellor to the President, Mr. Lih Beirouk.

On the Spanish side the conversation was attended by the Director of the Foreign Department for Africa, Middle East and Mediterranean, Mr. Alvaro Iranzo and the Director of the Secretary of State’s Cabinet, Mr. Santiago Miralles.

The Spanish delegation moved to Mauritania in the evening, from where it will leave to Morocco on Wednesday, it was indicated. (SPS)
010/090/000/TRD 080956 June 05 SPS

Chahid El Hafed, 08/06/2005 (SPS) Spanish Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Bernardino Léon Gros, declared to the press, Tuesday in Chahid El Hafed, that "Spain is so preoccupied because of the situation in the (Saharawi-Ed) territory" and that his Government can not work on the dossier "in an atmosphere of violence", calling "all the parties to calm down, in order to search a political solution".

Mr. Bernardino, who is expected to go to Morocco this Wednesday after his visit to Algeria, SADR and Mauritania, stressed that he does come as a mediator and that his trip comes within the framework "of an expression of Spanish political preoccupation", that search to open "dialogue with all parties". He estimated that "it is necessary to try to advance politically and search solutions".

Asked about the "positive neutrality" his Government is adopting regarding the conflict while it sells armoured tanks to Morocco and abstain in its vote in the UN’s General Assembly in favour of Rabat, Mr. Bernardino indicated that "Spain has got a coherent and firm position", recalling that his country has got "privileged relations with Morocco" (…) "and relations with Saharawi people".

He underlined, nevertheless, that "this privileged relations does not come to the detriment of our relation with the Saharawi people", and that his country "has got a historical responsibility in the dossier and we will continue working always with good will to try to find a solution". (SPS)

010/090/000/TRD 081042 June 05 SPS

Bilbao, 08/06/2005 (SPS) The Coordinator of State Institutions supporters of Western Sahara, Txomin Aurrekoetxea (Basque Nationalist Party), accused Spain and the UN "which are again on their way to betray Saharawi people", by their inability to complete the process of decolonisation in the non-self-governing territory, declared Mr. Aurrekoetxea in an interview to ETB, quoted by Spanish Press Agency, Europa Press.

To Mr. Aurrekoetxea "to this day, Spain continues to be the administrative power of the colony of Western Sahara", while the UN still did not succeed to enforce its resolutions on the conflict and does not put pressures on Morocco so as it respect the international legality and put an end to its defiance to the will of the international community.

"Saharawi people, he underlined, will have all the rights, international and human, in its favour to adopt the decision it has to adopt so as to recover its freedom", said Mr. Aurrekoetxea, who was giving statements in reaction to Moroccan authorities repression of the Saharawi Intifada that started in occupied territories of Western Sahara, south of Morocco and in Moroccan universities, since last May the 21st.

He hailed with "joy and hope the Saharawi Intifada", which intervenes, he asserted, to demand from the international community, especially the Spanish Government, "to move, because Saharawi people want to get free".

Many political Parties, political personalities and Spanish public institutions has condemned Moroccan authorities turning away of a Spanish delegation composed of local officials, social organisations and journalists depriving them from investigating on the human rights situation in the Saharawi occupied territory, which is submitted to a permanent state of siege since 1975, it should be recalled. (SPS)

Chahid El Hafed, 08/06/2005 (SPS) The meeting that took place Tuesday afternoon between the President of the Republic, Mr. Mohamed Abdelaziz, and Spanish Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Bernardino Léon Gros, was "frank, appropriate and useful", a Saharawi source from the presidency revealed to SPS

The meeting, which lasted for two hours, were concerned with "the historical and moral responsibility of Spain in the decolonisation of Western Sahara, which will only be completed when Saharawi people can freely decide on their future through a referendum on self-determination", the Member of Polisario Front’s National Secretariat, Mr. M’Hamed Khadad, declared to the press.

On his part, Mr. Gros, declared to the press that "Spain is so preoccupied because of the situation in the (Saharawi-Ed) territory" and that his Government can not work on the dossier "in an atmosphere of violence", calling "all the parties to calm down, in order to search a political solution".
(SPS)

010/090/100/TRD 081313 June 05 SPS

SPS
SPAIN/OCCUPIED TERRITORIES/VISIT
Moroccan colonial authorities expulsed a second delegation of Spanish local officials from the airport of El Aaiun

El Aaiun (occupied territories), 08/06/2005 (SPS) Moroccan colonial authorities expulsed on Wednesday a second delegation composed of Spanish local officials from the airport of El Aaiun, while they were travelling to investigate on the human rights’ situation Morocco does not stop violating since its military occupation in 1975of the non-self-governing territory, which is maintained under permanent state of siege, press agencies reported.

Composed of Spanish National Parliament’s members, Joan Herrera, Members of Catalonian Parliament, Albert Batalla, Rafael López and Jordi Castells, the delegation is also composed of two members of the Catalonian Association of the friends of Saharawi people besides many Spanish journalists.

"We see no legal reason to stop us from visiting the Saharawi territory, especially from a country that pretends to be the State of democracy and law, as Morocco pretends. We saw on the ground that this is not the case, or why stop Parliament members from freely visiting the territory and meet human rights’ local organisations", declared Mr. Rafael López, member of the expulsed group, to SPS via phone call.

This is the third delegation Moroccan authorities expels from El Aaiun Airport in les than three days. "It seems that they have something to hide", a local official from Madrid said, who was one of the members of the delegation that was returned back last Sunday.

During the last weeks of May, violent confrontations between Moroccan forces of repression and Saharawi people, who were claiming for the respect of human rights and their rights to self-determination and independence.

The confrontations resulted in dozens injured people, prisoners and disappeared in El Aaiun, Smara, Boujador, Dajla (Western Sahara) or in Rabat, Marrakech, Agadir, Casablanca (Morocco), it should be recalled. (SPS)

010/090/000/TRD 081738 June 05 SPS

SPS
ITALY/INTIFADA/SIT IN
Sit-in this Tuesday in front of Italian Parliament to denounce torture in Western Sahara

Roma, 08/06/2005 (SPS) Italian National Association of Solidarity with the Saharawi people (INASSP) announce its decision this Tuesday to organise a sit-in to denounce the repression in occupied territories and demand the holding of a referendum for the Saharawi people, in front of the seat of the Italian Parliament, indicated a press release by the association, SPS received.

The text asks for the dispatch of an international Committee to investigate in Western Sahara so as to establish the truth on "the repression and human rights violations committed by Morocco in this country on which a state of siege is imposed since 1975"

The Association calls on the UN’s Security Council to increase the competences of the Minurso to include "the protection of an injured and terrorised population", which unique crime was to ask "that his democratic rights be guaranteed". (SPS)

010/090/666/TRD 081823 June 05 SPS