SAHARA PRESS SERVICE

Sirte (Libya), 27/02/2004 (SPS) President of the Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz, took part today to the AU's 2nd extraordinary summit, which is taking place from the 27 to the 28 February in Libya.

A meeting is devoted to water, agriculture and the continent security, themes to be debated for two days by some 40 heads of states and governments, attending the summit in Sirte.

The African leaders, in a closed meeting held today after the opening of the summit, discussed ''Sirte's declaration on the challenges of integrated and durable development of agriculture and water in Africa'', to be adopted at the end of the morning's session.

A vital sector, because of the strategic importance of agriculture and water in the improvement of the socio economic development in Africa, they noted.
 
The leaders agreed to support the promotion and production of agricultural, plus animal products and fishing resources, and to strengthen the existing organisations and develop and maintain water resources, creating new organisations for this goal.

They also decided the immediate creation of ''the African common market for agricultural products'', which was agreed upon during the Lusaka summit in 2001, and to accelerate the process of the establishment of the African Bank of Investment in order to finance the projects of development in the agricultural and water fields.

The afternoon was devoted to the discussion of the second planed point of this summit, to talk about the continent common defence policy based on a project adopted earlier by AU's Ministers of Foreign Affairs.

It should be recalled that the head of state arrived on Thursday evening to Sirte's international airport, where he was received by general of brigade, Aboubeker Younes Jaber, Libyan minister of defence and Mr. Alpha Oumar Konaré, President of African Commission, besides of Polisario Front's representative to Libya, Melainine Etghana. (SPS)

010/SRT/000/TRD 271604 Feb 04 SPS

SPS
SADR/AUSTRALIA/ANNIVERSARY
Australian demonstration in front of UN in Sydney On the occasion of the 28th anniversary of the proclamation of the SADR

Sydney, 27/02/2004, (SPS) Tens of Australian demonstrators, pro-Saharawi politicians and activists, demonstrated, today, their rejection of the Moroccan colonialism to Western Sahara, in front of the UN Information Office in Sydney. They handed over a letter addressed to UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, calling for the organisation of the self-determination referendum for Saharawi people.

Giving a speach in front of the UN information bureau in Sydney, Senator Kerry Nettle of the Green Party expressed her ''solidarity'' with Polisario Front, and her ''support for the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination and independence''.

On his part, the president of the New South Wales Legislative Council, Meredith Burgman, urged UN to ''do more for the Saharawi people and put pressure on Morocco to organise the promised referendum''.

''Morocco must not be allowed to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup until it allows the organisation of the referendum and put an end to its human rights abuse in the occupied areas of Western Sahara'', she also said.

On another hand, Polisario representative to Australia, Kamal Fadel, thanked the participants and requested their continuous support until the Saharawi people is able to exercise its inalienable right to self-determination.

The organisers handed over a letter to the Director of the UN office addressed to Mr. Kofi Annan, in which they urged the UN Secretary General to intervene near Morocco so as it ''cooperate and implement without further delay UN resolutions concerning Western Sahara. The UN must not give in to Morocco's attempts to change the latest peace plan''. (read the complete text)

Moreover, the letter calls upon Annan to ''put pressure on Morocco to release all Saharawi prisoners of conscience and to put an end to its grave violations of human rights in the Western Sahara''. (SPS)

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