SAHARA PRESS SERVICE

Dakhla (occupied territories), 10/03/2004 (SPS) A Saharawi citizen, Mohamed Fadel Sidina Beray, was arrested on Tuesday in occupied Dakhla (southern city of Western Sahara) by Moroccan authorities of occupation after a repression of a sit-in organised by Saharawi citizens, who claimed for work, and to houses, granted, according to them, ''only to Moroccan colonisers'', indicated a communiqué of Occupied Territories' Minister.
 
The sister of the victim, Azouha Beray, was ''beaten up by the forces of security, and dragged by a police car for 50 m'' while she was trying to oppose the arrest of her brother. ''She is suffering from serious injures in her body and head'', according to this communiqué, published on Wednesday and received by SPS.

''The emergency intervention forces directed by superintendent, Abdessalam, assisted by General Inquiry services, Abderrahman, dispersed the demonstrators by force'', indicated the same source.

Mr. Beray ''is still between the hands of the police, subjected to violent interrogation since 24 hours, deprived of visits from his family and lawyer'', it was added. (SPS)

010/090/110/TRD 101950 Mar 04 SPS

SPS
SADR/HCR/CONFIDENCE-BUILDING MEASURES
President of the Republic appeals HCR to persuade Morocco to respect the humanitarian nature of confidence-building measures

Bir Lehlu, 09/03/2004 (SPS) The President of the Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz, appealed HCR to persuade Morocco to respect the humanitarian nature of the exchanges of visits between Saharawi families and to stop the political and media manipulations and other economic blackmailing of refugees and their families.
 
In a letter addressed to HCR's High Commissioner, Ruud Lubbers, the Head of State cited cases of violation of the terms of accords agreed upon between the parties ''especially the strictly humanitarian nature of the operation'', and that started last March the 5th.

In this respect, he evoked the organisation in El Aaiun's airport, just when the first group of families coming from refugees' camps arrived, of a ''political demonstration with the presence of Moroccan authorities, big tents, flags, giant portraits" of the Moroccan monarch.

In another hand, Moroccan colonial authorities used the local press to ''provoke the visitors since their getting off the airplane and during their stay'', he added.

''The media attack aimed at extracting from them at any price political declarations in favour of Morocco'', stated the President of the Republic, underlining that ''the humiliation Moroccan authorities were submitted to in the presence of their national press resulted to the unjustified reactions of the former''.

He also took note of ''police and special services encircling of the visitors'' and ''the economic blackmailing'' exerted on the hosting families to persuade their relatives not to return back to the refugees' camps, among other cases, are acts of violation of the terms of the accord upon.

To the President, ''such an attitude is to blow up all the notable and patient efforts that resulted in starting the operation''. He called HCR to ask Morocco to ''let the visits running in serenity and confidence atmosphere for the sake of the concerned families''.

Retracing confidence-building measures' clauses years ago recommended by UN, the President of the Republic renewed Polisario Front's resolution to fully cooperate with HCR ''for the pursuit and intensification of this operation''.

Mr. Abdelaziz, however, claimed for ''the implementation of the other confidence-building measures'' UN's Security Council had adopted, and still blocked by Morocco.

It should be recalled that besides the exchanges of visits between the families separated by a 30 years conflict maintained by Moroccan colonialism in contradiction and despise of international Law and legality, UN also proposes the exchange of mail, telephone calls and the organisation of seminaries. Measures still rejected by Morocco. (SPS)

010/090/100/TRD 092140 Mar 04 SPS

SPS
SADR/OCCUPIED TERRITORIES/MOROCCO/VISITS
Triumphal return of Saharawi visitors from occupied territories

Chahid El Hafed, 10/03/2004 (SPS) Saharawi families who were in a visit to El Aaiun, occupied capital of Western Sahara, within the framework of UN's confidence building measures, came back on Wednesday to the refugees' camps, while other visitors from occupied territories returned to their country.

''We had a triumphal and warm reception not only from our families, but also from all Saharawis living in El Aaiun and elsewhere'', declared Mr. Bachir Rir to SPS, while getting off MINURSO's airplane that maintains this weekly link in collaboration with HCR.

Mr. Bachir denounced ''Moroccan press manipulation aiming at extorting declaration from us in favour of the colonisation of our territory''. He also stated that the authorities of occupation ''had tried all ways : corruption, blackmailing of hosting families, spies etc...to lead us to support their occupation'' (...) ''our answers were sometimes interpreted to justify their complaints to HCR'', he added.

Accompanied by her four children, a lady expressed her indignation at having been forced to fill some forms for Moroccan security agents on her own homeland, stating that ''the demographic situation of the country was completely modified in favour of the Moroccan colonisers compared to which Saharawis represent only 75% of inhabitants''.

A young man of 30 years old, having recently fled from occupation, expressed his satisfaction of having «been able to freely express his ideas in the city''.

Shocked by Rabat's attempts aiming to stop the visits, Mr. Amar declared that «Morocco should not imagine that HCR will work at the place of Makhzen's agents in forbidding the freedom of expression we are used to in the camps''.

Some 40 persons took benefit of this UN's humanitarian initiative aimed to allow families separated by the Moroccan wall of shame, to exchange visits.
 
It should be recalled that Western Sahara, former Spanish colony, was invaded in 1975 by Moroccan armed forces, who occupied the main cities. Morocco erected a defensive wall, around these cities, along 2000 Km, protected by more than 120.000 soldiers and as much of heavy weapons, millions of mines and thousands of armoured engines.

For the moment, Morocco gave permission only to the inhabitants of El Aaiun to subscribe to the lists of HCR, the latter been in charge of the operation, while Polisario Front has opened all the refugees' camps to the organisation's employees to distribute the forms of the demands of visits.

The next shuttle of this weekly link should be organised next Friday. HCR had not yet given the number of persons to take it from both sides. (SPS)

010/090/000/TRD 101741 Mar 04 SPS

SPS
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES/REPRESSION
A Saharawi NGO denounces threat and intimidation exerted against Saharawi families who benefited from exchange of visits

El Aaiun, 10/03/2004 (SPS) The Association of the Families of Saharawi Prisoners and Disappeared (AFAPREDESA) denounced the pressures, Moroccan security services and intelligence, exert against Saharawi population in occupied territories, in margin of the exchange of visits UNHCR's recently
organised, exhorting UN, MINURSO in particular, to react for the protection of these citizens.

In a communiqué published on Tuesday, the association indicated that ''the occupied city of El Aaiun has lived, during more than 5 days, a state of total alert'', as a result to the arrival "of the first group composed of 21 members of families from Saharawi refugees camps within the framework of the programme of visits between Saharawi families organised under the auspices of UNHCR''.

Capitain Hariz El Arbi, "famous torturer", General Inquiry Services' Director (RG), and one of the main responsible of forced detention, and of the torture of hundreds of Saharawis in Moroccan detention centres in occupied territories, pursues his crimes violating human rights accompanied by his assistant,
Rabii Abdelhak, who was leading the barbarous oppression of El Aaiun's Intifada en 1999.

Moroccan authorities, "mobilised all intelligence services and all security systems in El Aaiun's streets", indicated Afapredesa.

The mentioned Hariz and Rabii, has launched a campaign of intimidation against ''Saharawi activists'', their families and ''any one who dare visiting the houses where cousins coming from refugees camps are settling, or even contact them'', added the communiqué.

In fact, Saharawi activists, former prisoners and human rights defenders, especially Sidi Mohamed Daddach, Rafto Prise winner, Mr. Baba Mayar, Salek Bazeid, political prisoners recently released among Ali Salem Tamek's group, Ghalia Abdellahi Mohamed, activist and former disappeared (a woman), Ehmad
Hammmad, Al ismaili Brahim, Mousamih El Arbi, were all victims to "insults, and humiliations", reported witnesses.

These acts and exactions reflect "the deep preoccupation of the occupying regime, of the consequences and results of these visits, that will contradict its so long used propaganda, in which it pretended that Saharawi refugees ''were detained against their will and suffer all kinds of aggressions and lack of freedom'', according to the text. (SPS)

060/090/360 101241 Mar 04 SPS