SAHARA PRESS SERVICE

Aousserd (refugees camps), 21/02/2004 (SPS) An important delegation, of more than 140 persons coming from Asturias, arrived on Thursday for a week visit to the Saharawi refugees' camps to mark their solidarity and support to the Saharawi people and their national liberation struggle, reported
official source.

Mayors, municipal counsellors and support organisations to the Saharawi people came to reactivate agreements of cooperation and of twinning with Saharawi's Dairas, sign new bilateral agreements with Saharawi localities or inaugurate projects they already financed in the framework of this cooperation,
it was indicated.

Tens of families of the same autonomous region equally came in the Charter flight, in which the delegation came from Asturias to the Saharawi refugees' camps, to visit hundreds of Saharawi children having stayed among some of these families during the last summer holydays.

Besides, another delegation composed of a hundred persons of the autonomous region of Cantabria, is awaited for on Sunday in the Saharawi refugees' camps, in the same framework and for the same objectives, it was announced.
 
Chaired by the Cantabria region Government's general Director of the European affairs and cooperation for development, José Felix Garcia, accompanied by members of the region public health's counsellor office, as well as members of Cantabria's support committee to the Saharawi people. The visit of this
delegation will continue until February the 29th.

According to the Spanish newspaper, El Diario Montanes, the expedition of Cantabria will bring with it, a humanitarian aid composed of food, sanitary and school equipment.

It also mentioned, among the objectives of this visit, the development of the cooperation between the two people, Saharawi and Spanish, in the cultural and social domains, as well as symbolic acts of solidarity in the framework of the next commemoration of the 28 anniversary of the SADR, expected this 27th February.

It is noted that some Polisario Front's representatives are present in the 17 Spanish autonomous regions, and that these autonomous regions welcome every summer a total of more than 10.000 Saharawi children in holidays colonies.(SPS)

010/090/100/TRD 212050 Feb 04 SPS

SPS
SADR/MARATHON
Arrival of Italian runners of the IVth edition of Sahara Marathon

Smara (refugees' camps), 21/02/2004 (SPS) More than 80 Italian athletes arrived Saturday morning to the Wilaya of Smara to participate in the IVth edition of the Sahara Marathon, expected on February the 23th. A course in the sands and stones on a distance of 42,159 Km between the Wilaya d'El Aaiun and Smara, announced the organisers.

Accompanied by a political delegation composed of elected official of several Italian communities, these runners started the registrations familiarization and orientation in the desert formalities in the late afternoon, it was indicated.

Other athletes coming from Spain, USA and Australia are awaited for tonight, while Chilean runners had already visited the trajectory to familiarize themselves with the desert, it was specified.
 
This international sportive event that started for the first time in February 2001 as an initiative of some American, Spanish, Italian and German personalities in collaboration with the ministry of culture and sports, had already gathered thousands of athletes and participants from many nationalities in the Saharawi desert.

Organised each year in turn by these different nations, Italia is sponsoring the 2004 Sahara Marathon, which will also include semi-marathon race, 10 and 5 Km races between the Wilayas, as done in the past.

A super marathon of more than 200 Km was organised last year by the German committee of Sahara Marathon, started from the wilaya of El Aaiun to Dakhla.

Asked about the goals of this annual encounter, the minister of culture and sports, Mariem Salek, indicated that it aims at ''encouraging sports in the desert to cultivate athletes' endurance and mostly to promote international cultural exchanges in favour of the diversity of the participants, coming from different zones of the planet''

''We will unify our voices and efforts, having in mind the noble ideals of sports, for a more tolerant world, more peaceful, more fair and human'', she said.

Former ministers, deputies, figures of culture, politics and businessmen, had participated in the previous editions of the marathon, and their participation is expected by the organisers for this year too, it was indicated.

The first edition of Sahara Marathon 2001, organised by the American, Jeb Carney, in collaboration with US Western Sahara Foundation, was won by the Algerian, Aouil Rabeh. American congressman, Joseph Pitts, gave the starting sign to this edition.

The second edition, Sahara Marathon 2002, was won by the Italian, Castelleno Villenzo (42 years old), while his wife, Rosa Maria Manari, won the first place of women.

It should be recalled that the third edition of this event, in 2003, was won by the Spanish, Jorge Obeso Matinez, while the first from women was again the Italian, Rosa Maria Manari (SPS)

010/090/000 211445 feb 04 SPS