Madrid, 14/04/2006 (SPS) The former Moroccan Minister of Interior, Driss Basri, asserted that Polisario Front "has never been implicated with terrorist organisations", underlining that it is composed of "honest person who are faithful to their cause", reported Spanish newspaper, "La Razon", in its Saturday edition.

 

IN an interview he accorded to the Madrid based newspaper, the former Moroccan powerful man of the late Hassan II, Driss Bassri, once in charge of the dossier of the Western Sahara for 25 years, is the most relevant man in Morocco to deduce such conclusions.

 

Here is the complete text of the interview realised by the Spanish journalist, Pedro Canales, and translated to English by SPS:

 

"Driss Basri, former Moroccan Minister of interior: "the men of Polisario are honest and faithful to their cause"

 

Basri says they are against the Moroccan Royal Palace, and not mercenaries

 

Pedro Canales

 

Madrid.- Hated by the circle of King Mohamed VI, and applauded by the fans of his father, Driss Basri believes he has got something to say regarding the conflict of the Western Sahara, a dossier he controlled for 25 years.

 

- King Mohamed VI wants to present a project of autonomy. Can it be the solution to the conflict?

 

- Ever since Morocco introduced, in 1967, its claims to the UN, it advocated the liberation of the Western Sahara on the basis of the implementation of the right to self-determination, the right of the peoples to govern themselves and the right to independence. Now Morocco abandoned this principle saying it is inapplicable.

 

   - What is the conclusion then?

 

   - In 1980 king Hassan II accepted the consultation based on two options "if the Saharawis want independence, or integration to Morocco?". The UN’s Secretary General, Pérez de Cuellar, introduced that in his plan.

 

   - Is it favourable to Morocco?

 

   - No! It is extremely detrimental because it recognised Polisario as "the unique representative of the Saharawi people" and that "the two parties to the conflict are: Polisario Front and Morocco". That was a victory to our adversaries.

 

   - Is the option of autonomy valid?

 

   - Since 1980 all efforts were dedicated to the organisation of a self-determination referendum. All the parties believe in the advantage of this solution.

 

   - Was this the opinion of Hassan II?

 

   - Yes.

 

  - Has Hassan II talked about autonomy?

 

   - Never. It was a "third way", proposed by France and the United States. Spain has always maintained the support to a referendum under the auspices of the United Nations.

 

- What is your personal position?

 

   - I am against. The UN, the Security Council and the Representative of the UN’s Secretary General, James Baker, had established this "Plan" in steps, all of which are in favour of the Polisario Front. It was an autonomy managed by the laws of the United Nations and not of Morocco’s.

 

   - What will happen if Morocco accepts it?

 

   - It will be a step before the independence of the Western Sahara. No country, with a distinguished internal identity, can admit to be governed by the international law.

 

   - What is your opinion about Polisario?

 

   - First of all, they are our brothers. Second they are our adversaries. But they are honest men, faithful to their cause, living in the conditions we all know for more than 30 years. They have never been implicated with international terrorist organisations. Morocco must take this into consideration in the search of a solution that defends its honour and dignity.

 

   - Do you have any problems with the king?

 

   - None.  Worked during all my life so as he can be a king. I had always defended the monarchy, the royal family and the country. I believe that since the era of Socrates and Machiavelli, no political regime has ever treated so unfairly a faithful servant". (SPS)

 

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SPS OCCUPIED TERRITORIES/MOROCCO/POLITICAL PRISONERS 13 Saharawi political prisoners still in Moroccan custody (official)

Bir Lehlu (liberated territories), 23/04/2006 (SPS) 13 Saharawi political prisoners, at least, are still maintained under detention in Moroccan prisons after the release of 38 Saharawi political prisoners from the Carcel Negra (local prison in El Aaiun - Western Sahara) and in the local prisons of the Moroccan cities of Ait Melloul, Inzegan, Tiznit and Sale, declared a press release issued, on Sunday, by the Saharawi Ministry of Occupied Territories and Communities.

The Saharawi Government underlines that the release of these men, who were "arrested and imprisoned for crimes they never committed", intervenes as a result to "the pressures of the peaceful uprising in the occupied territories, in the South of Morocco, in the Moroccan universities as well as pressures exercised on the Government of Rabat by the international movement of solidarity with the Saharawi people, NGOs and countries".

Hailing these "real heroes of independence, their families and the Saharawi people as a whole for this glorious victory", the press release noted that this liberation of prisoners and the ones that preceded it "are absolutely not gifts from the king of Morocco", it is instead "the result of their (the prisoners) heroic struggle, their attachment to their objectives of independence that they supported despite the repression, intimidation and torture exercised against them by the Moroccan colonial forces".

Commenting on the context in which the Moroccan Government proceeded to this hasted release, the press release underlined that it intervened to "prevent" against a possible enlargement of the competences of the UN's mission as a response to the "human rights violations committed by Morocco in the territory", which were widely commented in the last report of the UN's Secretary General that will be discussed by UN's Security Council on Monday or Tuesday.

To the Saharawi Government "these acts of partial releases of innocent prisoners will not put an end to the Moroccan colonial de facto in the Western Sahara and will not stop the policy of oppression adopted as a system by Morocco against the helpless Saharawi citizens".

In this respect, the Saharawi Government called on the UN's Security Council to "adopt the necessary measures to put an end to the tragedy of these citizens" via the establishment of a "UN's system that would protect them until the decolonisation of the territory through a just, free and transparent self-determination referendum". (SPS)

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