SAHARA PRESS SERVICE

Chahid El Hafed, 12/06/2005 (SPS) The President of the Saharawi Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz, draws the attention of the European Union (EU) on "the seriousness of the situation in Western Sahara", estimating that it requires from the EU "an urgent action to avoid the worst and prevent against dangers", reported a letter the Head of the State addressed to Mrs. Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Commissioner for European Policies of Neighbourhoods and Foreign Relations.

"The serious events to which Western Sahara’s occupied territories were the theatre" (…) engendered "a fierce repression against Saharawi helpless population", whose "only crime was to have peacefully demonstrated to claim for the respect of Saharawi people’s right to self-determination and their right to the freedom of opinion and movement", he recalled.

"The result of the repression is heavy: Injured persons, some seriously, dozens arrests and cases of disappearance. Besides, torture became a normal and systematic practice, houses were violated, goods looted or destroyed and their Saharawi owners expulsed", he said.

Disgusted about "the revolting images broadcasted by European televisions of beaten Saharawi women and young persons stamped on by Moroccan forces", Mr. President see in these pictures "the irrefutable proof of the amount of repression that touched Saharawi population, all categories included, wherever they are".

He concluded that such a situation will probably "languish and unfortunately worsen". This demonstrations he said, apart from "frustration and deception" they symbolise in front of "the passiveness of the international community and the abdication of the UN" are in the first place the expression "of a clear rejection of three decades of occupation and Moroccan colonial fait accompli".

"It will be never enough to repeat that Western Sahara conflict is problem of colonisation that must be resolved through the exercise by Saharawi people of their inalienable right to self-determination", he recalled, underlining that Morocco "by its intransigence, its open rejection to respect or enforce UN’s and UN’s Security Council’s pertinent resolutions" (…) "jeopardised the efforts deployed by the international community" (…) "and blocked any democratic, fair and peaceful solution to the conflict".

To Mr. Abdelaziz, the EU "can not and should not remain indifferent before of the tragedy lived by Saharawi people and the crimes perpetrated by Morocco against it", taking into consideration that Rabat "is the country which receive the biggest amount of European assistance among the countries of the Maghreb, and maintains ready to war an army of more than 150.000 soldiers in Western Sahara".

He wondered if the EU "can let Morocco do whatsoever suit him forever" while it violates accords agreed upon between the two parties, Morocco and EU, "regarding the respect of human rights and democracy". He also wondered whether or not the EU would continue cooperating with Rabat "ignoring its policy based on the violation of international Law and legality, by signing again accords on fishing and by encouraging investments that implicate the territory of Western Sahara, which is illegally occupied by Morocco".

"It is no more secret that aids from the EU are used by Morocco to reinforce its military devices in Western Sahara with radars and sophisticated electronic material", he said.

ON another hand he called on EU to condemn "the policy of repression and oppression adopted by Morocco against the civil population in Western Sahara" and to demand from Morocco to "release political detainees, to stop the practice of torture and to cancel the iniquitous trials against Saharawis, to break the state of siege imposed on the occupied territories and give free access to the press and independent observers".

The letter, of which SPS received a copy, is also addressed to Josep Borrell Fontelles, President of the European Parliament and to Jean-Claude Juncker, Prime Minister of the Luxembourg and President of the EU, it was indicated. (SPS)

010/090/100 121040 June 05 SPS

Algiers, 12/06/2005 (SPS) The President of the Saharawi Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz, launched "a touching appeal" to France and its President, Jacques Chirac, asking them "to try once and for all the formula of self-determination", for the settlement of Western Sahara conflict, reported Algerian newspaper, "le Jeune indépendant", in its Saturday edition.

Answering journalists questions, as a guest to the Forum of Algerian newspaper El-Bilad, organised in the International Centre of Algerian Press in Algiers, Saharawi President "vividly thanked French civil society", which is claiming for the respect of the fundamental rights of the Saharawi people and the support of its right to free self-determination"

He said that "if the French citizen was informed on the reality as it is (regarding Western Sahara question), we would certainly gain his sympathy. Because, in fact, what are the values we are defending? They are those concerned with freedom of expression, human rights, free and democratic vote, decolonisation, self-determination… values the entire world defend and respect", he said.

He deplore, however, the fact that "the truth remains unknown in France, what makes the solidarity (French solidarity with the Saharawi people) extremely limited", although "we highly appreciate the role played by our French friends", he added.

To Mr. Abdelaziz, "the responsibility of the French Government is big regarding what is happening in Western Sahara from 1976 to nowadays". "We would like to seize this occasion to say to French Government and others (referring to Spain) that ideas around which you are turning are not the solution", he affirmed.

"The things of which you are dreaming, which you are trying to pass such as regionalisation, or autonomy which is sometimes « large » sometimes « restricted»… can not develop", he said. "Morocco can not advance and the situation can not advance in the region", he asserted. He advised the French and Spanish Governments to put an end to their failure.

"Since 1975, you, who tried everything, you should know that division and partition of the territory did not resolve the problem. Same thing for the attempts to present the Western Sahara’s question as a problem between Morocco and Algeria, or as an internal Moroccan problem", he said.

To him, it is in this framework the French "political solution" evoked by France and Spain can be interpreted. "You, French and Spanish friends of Morocco, try once and for all what you had never attempted to this date, maybe this will be the solution".

"Try self-determination; try a free and democratic referendum for self-determination. Here is the key!" he proposed. In the past, "you financed Morocco, you backed it militarily, you even came to fight side by side with Morocco via your Jaguar" he added.

"It is said that Saharawis are not a big people, that is true! It is also said that Saharawi are poor, that is true! That they suffered a lot, that is right! 30 years of endurance, prisons, famine, diseases, poverty, all these is true as it is true that Saharawis have got their rights and that they are determined to die for them, then give them their rights", Mr. Abdelaziz put.

On another hand, the President of the Republic affirmed that "Saharawis can not constitute a threat for France, Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania or Spain. They are a threat to none. They only own a little patch of sand. Then let them live free on their sand and if you want to share with us our food made of sand, then you will be welcomed".

Addressing the French President, Mr. Abdelaziz said "Your Excellency, President Chirac, 30 years of suffering and wrench is enough. To defeat Saharawis will not bring you new strength. To defeat Saharawis will not bring you a Knight’s honour. Saharawis do not have nuclear bombs or weapons or terrorism. They are peaceful people who defend democracy, the same democracy everybody defend, French people, Algerians, Moroccan, Spanish, and American", he concluded. (SPS)

010/090/700/TRD 121118 June 05 SPS