SAHARA PRESSE SERVICE

Aousserd (refugees' Camps), 20/06/04, (SPS) Under the Chairmanship of Mahfoudh Ali Beiba, Member of the National Secretariat and President of Parliament, the National Council (Parliament) adopted, Sunday, a law regulating its relations with the Government, SPS noted.

The Parliament, which carried on its spring's session last week, adopted on Sunday a law that regulates its relations with the Government with the presence of delegates of the executive, namely, Minister of Justice, Hamada Selma and Ahmed Sid Ali, Juridical Councillor of the Government.

According to the article 127 of the National Constitution, adopted in Polisario Front's 11th Congress held in Tifariti in October 2003, this new law should be put to approbation of the Constitutional Council in order to study its compatibility with the constitution.

The meetings of the Parliament should be pursued until July to study all the scheduled points, in particular the Parliament's Internal Law, Law of Lawyers and of Commerce activities. (SPS)

040/090/000/TRD 201800 June 04 SPS

SPS
SADR/AUSTRIA
The President of the Republic receives a message from his Austrian counterpart

Chahid El Hafed 20/06/2004, (SPS) The President of the Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz received, Saturday, a message from his Austrian counterpart, Heinz Fischer, in which the latter expressed his support to a just and legal solution to Western Sahara's conflict, SPS noted.

In a letter addressed to the President of the Republic, the Austrian Head of State expressed his preoccupation with "the political developments regarding Western Sahara", deploring "the serious difficulties Saharawi people are undergoing", due to the illegal occupation of its (Saharawi people) territory by Moroccan expansionist regime.

"I promise you to pursue efforts" in the search of a just solution to the conflict, "supporting any proposition that will guarantee a peaceful and fair solution to this case", insisted Mr. Fischer.

It should be recalled that the President of the Republic had recently addressed a message to his Austrian counterpart about the last developments in the national issue, calling him to support the international legality by backing Saharawi People's right to self-determination and independence. (SPS)

SPS
SADR/MOROCCO/USA/CONGRESS
Morocco dodges its commitment and manipulates international community, condemns congressmen

Washington, 20/06/2004, (SPS) Republican congressman Joseph Pitts and Democrat, Donald Payne, accused Morocco, Friday, to be systematically in violation to international legality " dodged its commitment to the international community, begun to illegally exploit the natural resources of Western Sahara, and manipulated the international community ".

In a joint statement, of which SPS received a copy, the two congressmen called USA and UN to effectively intervene for the organisation of a self-determination referendum for Saharawi people, rejecting any Moroccan claim of sovereignty on Western Sahara.

" The United States and the United Nations have promised the Sahrawis a vote to determine their future ", yet they did not fulfil this promise and had " let them (Saharawis) down ", giving Morocco an opportunity to continue with its policy of occupation not only in violation to the legitimate rights of " the Sahrawi people but also to international law", they added.

It is understandable that Morocco, "has every right to maintain its terriritorial integrity, but not over land that does not belong to it ", and international community is called to push it to respect the Rights and the international legality, they underlined.

Condemning the lies often spread by the Moroccan propaganda, in which Saharawis are accused of been involved with international terrorism among other insults, Mr. Pitts and Mr. Payne qualified these claims as ''misguided and wrong. It's divorced from the reality on the ground there''.

Saharawi people, maintain the two congressmen, had always been " pro-democracy", adding that they (Saharawi people " have their own elected leaders, including many women. They have their own democracy constitution".

On another hand, Saharawis had always " denounced violence “opting for” peaceful resistance and denunciation of terrorism to obtain their national goals, they have utilized the international system and the UN system to achieve a peaceful resolution to this conflict", they indicated.

Describing Western Sahara as “a bastion of moderation and democracy ", the two congressmen deplored the lack of firmness USA and ONU show when it comes to the resolution of this conflict within the paths of legality. They recalled that Morocco which “has agreed to give the people of Western Sahara a vote on their future ", continues to” manipulate the international community", erecting obstacles in front of any peaceful solution to the conflict.

It should be recalled that Congressman Joe Pitts is Vice-Chair of the International Relations Subcommittee on International Terrorism, while Congressman Payne is Ranking Member of the House International Relations Subcommittee on Africa. (SPS)

060/090/100 201237 June 04 SPS

SPS
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES/MOROCCO/REPRESSION
Ali Salem Tamek calls international community to put an end to human rights violations in Western Sahara

Aaiun, 20/06/2004 (SPS) Saharawi human rights' activist, Ali Salem Tamek, recently called international community to put an end to obstacles to freedom of information, free access and movement to Medias in Western Sahara.

In a communiqué SPS received, the Saharawi activist "reiterate(s), his, appeal to international community to intervene near Morocco to end arrests and obstacles put in front of the freedom of information, and to allow free movement to journalists in occupied territories of Western Sahara".

After the expulsion by Moroccan authorities of the two Norwegian journalists, Tor Dagfinn Dommersnes and Fredrik Refvem, on the 16 June 2004, Tamek denounced "this act, which we are accustomed to and which aims at strengthening the media siege and forbid any independent journalistic report on Western Sahara".

Morocco "with the absence of any strong international pressure", will persist in "this process which is not based on law", added the communiqué.

It should be recalled that the organisation 'Reporters Without Borders' had released a communiqué on Wednesday, in which it said to be "deeply concerned by the arrests", the same day, of the two journalists who were planning to report, to Norwegian newspaper 'Stavanger Aftenbladet', on the political situation in the Kingdom, on Western Sahara's conflict and on illegal immigration to Europe (SPS)

020/090/667/TRD 201035 June 04 SPS