SAHARA PRESS SERVICE

Brussels, 17/02/2004 The European Union hailed on Monday, the liberation, by the Polisario Front, of 100 Moroccan POWs last 13th February as a response to the request of Qatar, calling Morocco and Polisario Front '' to consider their obligations with respect to the humanitarian consequences of the conflict'' and to implement the Baker's plan for self-determination of Saharawi People.

In a communiqué, the Irish chairmanship of the EU expressed his '' support'' to the resolution of the UN calling Morocco and the Polisario Front to ''cooperate for the research of persons who disappeared '' since the beginning of the conflict.

'' It is necessary that the opened humanitarian questions of the conflict be resolved without more delay'', underlined the communiqué.

In addition, the EU reiterated its wish to see '' some progress in the political aspects to the conflict'' and its '' firm support to the UN's Secretary General , Kofi Annan, and his personal envoy, James Baker, for their efforts aiming at guaranteeing a durable solution to the conflict''.

Polisario Front had announced, last February the 13th, the liberation of 100 Moroccan POWs to the request of Qatar. A new group that carries to 1.743 the total number of these prisoners, captured during the battles that opposed Moroccan colonial forces to the Sahrawi fighters, since the beginning of the Moroccan military invasion of the Sahrawi territory in 1975.

It should be recalled that Polisario Front had liberated, last November, 300 Moroccan POWs to the request of Libya and more than 200 in the same year, in two groups, at a Spanish Government's request. (SPS)

010/090/720/TRD 17213 Feb 04 SPS