SAHARA PRESS SERVICE

Amsterdam, 20/04/2004 (SPS) The Foundation for the Self-determination in Western Sahara expressed its «indignation and anxiety about the anti-democratic practices of Moroccan Embassy in Netherlands», after the «vain» attempts of the latter to botch a public debate on Western Sahara which was organised in The Royal Institute of the Tropiques (KIT), on the 15th April, in Amsterdam.

«The second person in the Embassy dared putting pressures on the KIT in Amsterdam, where the debate was expected to take place», emphasised a communiqué of the Committee, adding that the Moroccan diplomats demanded from the direction of the Institute to cancel the debate and a former presentation of a book, entitled "The last colony in Africa; journey through Western Sahara", which was published in Dutch and the debate organised under the theme "The biggest taboo in Morocco ".

The communiqué, had also, informed about menaces against the Institute, in which it was intimidated and asked to cancel the debate to which the journalist, Ali Lemrabet, was invited, «two thousands Moroccans will come to throw stones on you », threatened the Embassy.

«The Foundation considers as unacceptable that the Moroccan Embassy interfere in the exercise of the free expression, even in Netherlands», added the communiqué, estimating that the behaviour of the Embassy prove that Morocco «goes further in its manoeuvres of dissimulation of the illegal occupation of Western Sahara and violations of international law».

Indignant, the Foundation called the attention to the fact that Morocco aims « not only at intimidating Moroccan and Saharawi communities in Netherlands, but also at inciting them to threaten Dutch institutions in order to prevent the organisation of an open and wide public debate». (SPS)

010/090/666/TRD 201122 Apr 04 SPS

SPS
SADR/MOROCO/MISINFORMATION
Mr. Sidati denounces the Moroccan campaign of misinformation aimed at tainting Polisario's image

Brussels, 20/04/2004 (SPS) The Minster, delegated to Europe, Mohamed Sidati, denounced on Monday in Brussels, « deceitful and grotesque» campaign of misinformation of Moroccan services and « their French accomplices », aimed at discrediting Polisario Front, via useless attempts to assimilate it to international terrorism, an attempt that «everyone with common sense would obviously dismiss out of hand».

"This is not the first time that the colonialist Moroccan regime resorts to such kind of behaviour. In the past, depending on the conjunctures, the regime would accuse the Saharawi people of being a mere creation of Spain. Then it started describing the struggle of this people for national independence as a proxy war for this and that country. Since ridicule does not kill, the regime eventually went to the extent of portraying the fighters for freedom and democracy in Western Sahara as a handful of subversive agents working for the soviet block », underlined the Minister.

The minister claimed that « the Moroccan regime, which is facing a stalled socioeconomic, political and security situation», creates « a fertile soil for breeding all sorts of radicalism ».

He recalled that for many weeks and « in the aftermath of the hideous terrorist bombings in Madrid», Moroccan press « with the complicity of certain French quarters», has been launching a deceitful campaign « to divert the attention», considering that this campaign is a result of the international isolation Morocco is facing after Rabat's rejection of United Nations' prepositions for a fair and peaceful solution in Western Sahara.

Morocco « seems to have chosen to lay the blame on the victim of its expansionism and state terrorism, that is the Saharawi people, while it should have blamed itself», he underlined.

« This means that Morocco that has found itself cornered, especially after the bombings of 11th March in Madrid, is now bent on employing abusively a baseless and false argument with a view to diverting the attention and to discrediting the national liberation struggle that the Saharawi people has been waging for decades», he emphasised.

He also denounced «the misrepresentation and manipulation» of a partial « recruit» of the Moroccan services of propaganda, the French professor, Aymeric Chauprade, «Recruited to carry out the task in exchange of emoluments», and who is inventing lies to «manipulate the delicate international situation
and the worldwide concern about terrorist threats».

Nonetheless, the « professor of the most ominous of ideologies», and who has never visited Western Sahara is completely ignorant about its people and about Polisario Front, concluded the minister. (SPS)

010/090/100/TRD 201017 Apr 04 SPS