SAHARA PRESS SERVICE

SPS
UN/WESTERN SAHARA/REPORT
Mr. Kofi Annan considers that the deadlock still hinders the decolonisation of Western Sahara
22.03.05



Washington (United Nations), 22/04/2005 (SPS) UN's Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Annan, deplored the persistence of the deadlock in the Western Sahara conflict, in a report he presented Thursday to the Security Council on the territory. He denounced Moroccan violation of the military accord n°1 signed by Rabat and reported on the responsibility of Morocco of the incidents of forced expulsion of immigrants to the liberated zones of the non-self-governing territory.

"Notwithstanding a certain improvement in the political climate in the region I regret to report once again that there remains lack of agreement, as described in my two previous reports, on how to overcome the deadlock between the parties and enable the people of Western Sahara to exercise their right to self-determination," the UN Secretary General underlined.

But, he omitted stressing that Morocco is the side to reject the implementation of the UN's resolutions and rejects the enforcement of the peace plans so far presented for the decolonisation of Western Sahara.

Mr. Annan expressed his preoccupation in front of «a serious deterioration " regard to military agreement No. 1 signed between the two parties. He denounced " continued installation and upgrading of radar and surveillance capability by the Royal Moroccan Army in over 40 locations along the entire length of the berm, although the agreement prohibits strengthening of equipment in the restricted areas (the two 30-kilometre wide areas to the north and west of the berm for the first area and to the south and east of the berm for the second)."

He also criticised the "improvement of defence infrastructure, including construction of a second strand of the berm by the Royal Moroccan Army, whereas the agreement prohibits all improvement of defence infrastructure, including the construction of new lines of defence (sand, stone or concrete)," what proves that Rabat is still insensitive to the numerous appeals for the dismantling of the wall of shame expressed by many national and international NGOs.

The Royal Army still performs, said Mr. Annan, " Live-fire military exercises by the Royal Moroccan Army that occasionally extend to the restricted areas (towards the north-east corner of the Territory), while the Agreement permits live-fire exercises only in the areas of limited restrictions (the stretches of land located on the northern and western side of the first restricted area and on the southern and eastern side of the second restricted area), subject to prior notification to MINURSO if they involve the use of weapons of a calibre above 9 millimetres."

Speaking about humanitarian matters, the SG tackled the Moroccan accountability for the forced expulsion of tens of stranded migrants into the territories under the control of Saharawi Army (liberated territories of Western Sahara).
In this respect, " MINURSO transported one Bangladeshi national, who was being sheltered by Frente Polisario forces in the Tifariti area, to Zouerate, Mauritania, where he was transferred to the International Organization for Migration for repatriation," in March the 22, 2005.

The Minurso "also learned of and visited an additional 46 stranded migrants, reportedly from Bangladesh, who have been in the care of the Frente Polisario in the Tifariti area since the first week of April 2005. The stranded migrants alleged that they arrived from Casablanca, ending in the Tifariti area after being forced across the berm into the buffer strip ", wrote the text.

On another hand it clearly reported on the responsibility of Rabat regarding the delay in the implementation of the 2nd phase of visits exchange programme between Saharawi families from both sides of the wall of shame. Saharawi families, it should be mentioned are separated since the Moroccan military invasion of their territory in 1975.

The SG Special Representative for Western Sahara, Alvaro de Soto, handed over to the two parties and to Algeria "a new plan of action for the implementation of the 2005 phase". "Polisario and Algeria, as country of asylum, have given their approval to the new plan of action. On 12 April the Moroccan Government informed UNHCR of its intention to send a delegation to Geneva to discuss further the new plan of action," he emphasised.

Talking about Saharawi refugees, Annan affirmed that World Food Programme (WFP) is carrying out a relief and recovery programme for Western Saharan refugees, budgeted at approximately $40 million over a two-year period, from September 2004 to August 2006.

So far, only 29 per cent of the required budget has been resourced through multilateral and bilateral contributions, he deplored, adding that "the food situation will remain critical until the end of the year ''.

Mr. Annan finally launched an "appeal to Morocco, and also to the Frente Polisario, to cooperate fully with ICRC in accounting for those who are still missing owing to the conflict", knowing that the Saharawi party fully cooperate with the ICRC since the first years of the war. It has unilaterally released more than 1800 Moroccan POWs while Morocco still refuse to reveal the truth over the fate of 150 Saharawi prisoner of war and over 500 Saharawi civilians reported missing. (SPS)

060/090/000 221157 AVR 05 SPS
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OCCUPIED TERRITORIES/HUMAN RIGHTS/JOURNALISM
Saharawi Journalists and Writers Union denounces a detention of Norwegian journalists in occupied city of El Aaiun




ِِِChahid El Hafed, 22/04/2005, (SPS)  Saharawi Journalists and Writers Union (UPES) denounced the detention of two Norwegian journalists, Miss. Anne Torhild Nilsen Skuland et M. Radmund Steinsvag, perpetrated by Moroccan authorities in front of the seat of the UN's Mission for the organisation of a referendum in Western Sahara (Minurso), reported a press release publicised Wednesday by the UPES.

"In April the 18, 2005), at 17.00 p.m GMT, two Norwegian journalists, Mlle. Anne Torhild Nilsen Skuland and Mr. Radmund Steinsvag, were arrested by the Moroccan authorities while they were trying to get into the headquarters of the Minurso to interview some of its officers", wrote the text.

The two journalists were driven to the Central police station of the occupied city of El Aaiun to be interrogated there for three hours before been "invited" by the Moroccan authorities to interview some Moroccans at the hotel of Parador.

The two victims were "driven in the private car of the police superintendent, Hamid Bahri, to the hotel "Parador" where two persons and a translator were awaiting them. They spent more than two hours with these men and were released then at about 23.00 p.m GMT", reports the same source.
 
The journalists were making a documentary film on the Saharawi question on the account of the Norwegian production company "Berserk Productions", it was indicated. They have already worked in the Saharawi refugees’ camps and in the liberated territories of Western Sahara without any obstacle during the month of March.

In April the 14th, 2005 they decided to go to the occupied territories of Western Sahara, "to present the story and the different aspects of the question" declared Miss. Nilsen to the journalist of SPS.
 
In April the 17th, 2005 at 11.00 GMT,  Mr. Radmund Steinsvag, got arrested for an hour because he tried to take pictures of a peaceful demonstration organised by tens of Saharawi citizens in the "Meca" street in front of the hotel of ''Negjir", where Minurso members live.
 
It should be recalled that this is not the first case of the kind. The Norwegian independent journalist, Erik Hagen, was expulsed on April the 5th, 2004 by the Moroccan colonial authorities, who drove him out by force to the neighbouring Mauritania, after having interrogated him for many hours in the police station.

Two other Norwegian journalists, Tor Dagfinn Dommersnes and Fredrik Refvem, were expulsed in June the 16th 2004 by the Moroccan authorities because they planning to interview Ali Salem Tamek, former Saharawi political prisoner and human rights activist.


On another hand, French freelance journalist Catherine Graciet and her compatriot photographer Nadia Ferroukhi, were deported to Agadir While they were planning to visit El Aaiun for the same up mentioned reasons, and were questioned at length by Moroccan authorities then deported to France in January the 28, 2004, it should be recalled. (SPS)

060/090/000 221346 AVR 05 SPS

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Itinérary of the two Norwegian  journalists :

Full Name: Miss. Anne Torhild Nilsen Skuland. Tel: +47.41.50.05.59
Full Name: M. Radmund Steinsvag. Tel: +47.90.16.01.66

March :

The two journalistes work in the Saharawi refugees camps and in liberated territories of Western Sahara.

Thursday: April the 14th, 2005.

17:30 :         Arrival to El Aaiun airport.
19:00 :         Prelimenary eeting with Saharawi human rights activists

Friday: April the 15th, 2005.

10:30 :        Interview with the Human Rights Raftp Price 2002, Sidi Mohamed  
                   Daddach, and human right activist, H'med Hammad.  
15:30  :       Interview with the Saharawi Committee of the victims of Forced
                   detention and Disappearence
19:00  :       Interview with the Saharawi activist and ex-political prisoner, Mrs.
                   Aminatou Haidar, and a group of ex-detainees (women)
23:00  :       Interview with representatives of the Committee of the Carcel Negra
                   in El Aaiun

Saturday: April the 16th, 2005.

11:00 :        Filming with some Saharawi victims of mines.
12:30 :        Interview with representatives of Phosbucraa workers.
15:30 :        Filming with members of Saharawi families of Martyrs
18:00 :        Filming with Saharawi victims of torture.

Sunday: April the 17th, 2005.

10:30 :        A visit to the El Aaiun port to film the installations of exploitation 
                   of phosphat and other fishing resources.
11.0    Mr. Radmund Steinsvag, arrested for an  hour near Nagjir, having stayed in the city to film a demonstration

Monday: April the 18th, 2005.

17.00 :        The two journalists and tow other young people accompanying
                   them, Miss. Ann-Christin Johnsgard, member of Amnesty
                   International and Mr. Oeyvind Steinsvag, a 17 years old kid.

Tuesday : April the 14th, 2005

                   The 4 Norwegian left the El Aaiun airoport under the protection of
                   tens of Saharawi human rights activists who accompanied them to
                   the plane that would take them to Canary Islands so as not to give
                   an opportunity to Moroccan authorities to confiscate their work.

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