SPS SADR/SPAIN/VISIT The President of the Republic
continues his visit to Catalonia
27.01.05
Barcelona
(Catalonia- Spain), 27/01/2005 (SPS) In the second day of his
visit to Catalonia, the President of the Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz,
met with the President of the Republican Left (Esquerra Republicana- in
Catalan) (ER), Mr. Carod Rovira, accompanied with his collaborators, of
whom Mr. Pillar Delunde, person in charge of external relations of the
Party.
Mr. Carod, whose Party participates in the tripartite coalition in
power in Catalonia besides the Catalonian Socialist Party and the
Initiative for a Green Catalonia, recalled his different visits to the
Saharawi refugees camps and the commitments of his Party to the
Saharawi cause.
During a press conference he jointly held with the President of the
Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz, Mr. Carod qualified this meeting as
"cordial, friendly and of complete agreement".
"I reaffirmed, he underlined, the historical commitment of the ER and
its positions in favour of the exercise by the Saharawi people of its
right to self-determination and independence".
"We will continue reinforcing our solidarity at the level of Catalonia
and Europe" (…) "We will work and use our influence at the level of
Madrid so as Spain adopts an attitude of dignity towards the Saharawi
people like Portugal did with the people of East Timor", he put.
Neither indifference nor neutrality. Western Sahara is a part of the
history of Spain and the Spain of today has more than anytime before
the responsibility and the moral, ethical and democratic obligation to
defend the Saharawi people until they enjoy their legitimate rights to
self-determination and independence", he added.
On his part, Mr. Abdelaziz expressed the gratitude of the Saharawi
people to the people of Catalonia and to all the political forces,
especially the Esquerra Republicana. He asked for more action so as to
"bring about a quick solution to the Morocco-Saharawi conflict on the
basis of the international legality and thus on the basis of the
respect of the national rights of the Saharawi people".
He deplored the "ambiguous" position of the current Spanish Government,
especially "its abstention" during the vote on Western Sahara at the
UN's General Assembly last December, estimating that "Spain can not be
indifferent nor neutral towards a conflict in which it assume a big
responsibility in its starting".
On another hand, the Head of the State met with a delegation of the
Catalonian Socialist Party (PSC), which was composed of Mrs. Maria
Luisa Ferse, person in charge for Cooperation, Mr. Pere Navarro, Mayor
of Terrassa, Mr. Juan Manuel Jaime, Congressman and Mr. Amor Del Alamo,
Coordinator of the Mayoralty supporting the Saharawi people.
The aspects of cooperation between the Polisario Front and the PSC were
reviewed, has indicated a close source to the presidential delegation,
adding that the leadership of the PSC has reaffirmed its "support to
the noble cause of the Saharawi people". (SPS)
SPS SADR/ALGERIA/USA The conflict of Western Sahara
was one of "the most preoccupying" for the United States, declares Mr.
Royce
Algiers, 27/01/2005 (SPS) After a
meeting he had with the Algerian Minister for Foreign Affairs,
Abdelaziz Belkhadem, the American Congressman, Edward Royce, declared
Tuesday in Algiers, that the conflict of Western Sahara was one of "the
most preoccupying" for the United States, reported Algerian newspaper,
El Moudjahid.
The Republican Congressman of the State of California, member of the
House of representatives International Relations Committee, indicated
that he discussed with Mr. Belkhadem about "the way to ameliorate our
common work for the settlement of the problem of Western Sahara, one of
the most preoccupying questions to us", wrote the source.
Accompanied with an important delegation composed of about fifteen
person, of whom the Congressman Jim McDermott, Mr. Royce added
Wednesday after his meeting with the Algerian President, Abdelaziz
Bouteflika, that he believes "firmly that justice and peace must
prevail for a solution that would bring Saharawi people the recognition
of their rights", indicated the newspaper.
To Mr. Royce, "the UN is able to find a just solution". In this
respect, he recalled the worthy efforts of the former Personal Envoy of
the UN'SG to Western Sahara and former Secretary of the American State,
James Baker. (SPS)
SAHARA
PRESS SERVICE