SPS SADR/SPAIN/VISIT The Saharawi question is "a
preoccupation" to all Catalonian political parties, declared Mr.
Ernesto Benach
28.01.05
Barcelona, 28/01/05 (SPS) The
President of the Parliament of Catalonia, Mr. Ernesto Benach, declared
Thursday at the seat of his Parliament in Barcelona, that the question
of Western Sahara is a major "preoccupation" in the agendas of all
Catalonian political parties.
Giving a speech during the reception organised Thursday on the honour
of the President of the Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz, in the Parliament
within the framework of the visit undertaken by the Head of the State
to Catalonia since last Monday, Mr. Ernesto Benach underlined that "the
question of Western Sahara remains in the political agenda of the
Catalan legislative authority, because it is a preoccupation shared by
all the political groups of this House".
"As a nation, basically, supporting" the Saharawi people and cause, he
added, "we are sensitive to your claims for your right to
self-determination, not only out of a humanitarian vision (…) or out of
the respect and support to the principles of the universal declaration
of the UN, but also out of the respect to our own history", declared
Mr. Benach addressing his eminent Saharawi guest and the important
delegation accompanying him.
"We are a part of a State that is the former coloniser" of Western
Sahara, so "responsible" of its current tragedy, he stressed.
Consequently, he added, "we back and work in favour of a solution to
the conflict of Western Sahara, a solution that would allow peace,
freedom and prosperity to the Saharawi people".
This is way, he continued, all the Catalonian political tendencies had
unanimously adopted last July the 1st a "resolution in which we
supported the UN's resolutions on Western Sahara, especially the
resolutions 1429 and 1495, as well as the peace plan unanimously
adopted" by the UN's Security Council, underlined Mr. Benach.
On another hand, he declared that his Parliament is on the process of
studying a motion in which the representatives of the people of
Catalonia would exhort their regional Government to declare "Western
Sahara an area of priority in its plan of action for cooperation
2003-2006".
On his side the Head of the State, Mohamed Abdelaziz, thanked the
President of the Parliament and the representatives of the Catalonian
people for the reception they reserved him, expressing his "gratitude
and recognition to all the institutions and to all the components of
the Catalonian social society for their initiatives of solidarity in
favour of the Saharawi people".
He, nevertheless, asked for "an urgent and firm action of support for
the establishment of peace in favour of the Saharawi people". He
reaffirmed the will of his country to strengthen the relations of
cooperation and friendship with the Catalonian people and Government.
After the interventions of the two sides, the Head of the State signed
the visitors' book of the Catalonian Parliament to take part then to a
session held by the Committee of ties of peace for the Sahara (Enlace
de Paz en el Sahara), composed of representatives of the Parliamentary
intergroup Peace for the Saharawi people, the Catalonian Association
for the aid to Saharawi people (ACAPS), the Coordination of the
Municipalities supporting Saharawi people and representatives of
Polisario Front in Catalonia.
The presidential delegation is composed of the members to the National
Secretariat, M’Hamed Khaddad, Coordinator with the Minurso, Brahim
Ghali, Polisario Front's Representative in Spain and Khalil Sidi
Mohamed, Minister of Occupied Territories and Communities, as well as
Mr. Salek Baba Hacena, Minister for Cooperation, Mr. Haj Ahmed,
Saharawi Ambassador to Venezuela, Mr. M’beirik, Saharawi Representative
to Catalonia and Mrs. Mahfoudha Rahal, Secretary of State for Social
Assistance.
The President of the Republic had before been received at the City hall
of Barcelona by the Mayor of the city, Mr. Joan Clos, with the presence
of many of his assistants, it should be mentioned.
He was received Monday at the seat of the Generalitat (official name of
the Government in Catalonia) by the President of the Catalonian
Government, Mr. Pasqual Maragall, with the presence of the latter's
assistant, Mr. Bargallo Valls, and the Counsellor in charge of Foreign
Relations.
The Head of the State had also been the guest of honour to a
dinner-debate organised by the Catalonian businessmen with the presence
of representatives of the regional and Spanish press.
In the second day of his visit to Catalonia, the President of the
Republic 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. (SPS)
SAHARA
PRESS SERVICE