SAHARA PRESSE SERVICE

El Aaiun (occupied territories), 31/10/2006 (SPS) The Moroccan forces of occupation eliminated a sport club owned by the family of the Saharawi athlete, Salah Hmatou, during a selection realised in the occupied city of El Aaiun by the Moroccan ministry of Youth, according to concordant sources.

"The elimination of the sport club owned by Mr. Hamoudi Hmatou, the father of the Saharawi athlete, intervenes as a reaction to the opinions expressed by he young athlete in an interview published in a Saharawi website, “cahier du Sahara”, in favour of the Saharawi people’s right to self-determination and independence, the same sources said.

The Saharawi website, on its side, indicated that "strong pressures were exercised on the Saharawi athlete’s father, Hamoudi Hmatou, right after he declared that his son has got the freedom to express his opinions and political convictions".

In this respect, the Moroccan forces of repression, mainly the Moroccan criminal police arrested the brother of the athlete, in the beginning of October, for more than two days in an "attempt to force Salah Hmatou renounce his position in favour of the Saharawi people’s cause", the same sources added.

The Saharawi athlete, Salah Hmatou, who lives in France, has recently won the second place in the 10.000 meters championship in Cap d'Agde in France.

Mr. Salah Hmatou, called on the French press, while he was receiving the price, to break the taboos imposed for the last three decades on the Western Sahara’s question and peaceful people. (SPS)

020/090/000/ 311445 Oct 06 SPS

SPS
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES/REPRESSION

Saharawi students in the occupied Smara denounce Moroccan repression against civilians

Smara (occupied territories), 31/10/2006 (SPS) Saharawi students’ movement in Smara denounced the repression perpetrated by the Moroccan forces of occupation against the defenceless civilians in the occupied territories of the Western Sahara, who are peacefully advocating the Saharawi people’s self-determination according to a press release published on Tuesday, of which SPS received a copy.

The Saharawi students in the occupied city of Smara regretted the pursuit of the repression and human rights violations perpetrated by the Moroccan colonial apparatus in the occupied territories of the Western Sahara. And they called to enable the Saharawi people to exercise their right to self-determination and chose their future.

They also asked for the release of all Saharawi political prisoners and human rights activists, still in Moroccan prisons, in addition to the lifting of the Military and Medias siege imposed on the Saharawi territory since its invasion in 1975 by Moroccan army.

The Saharawi students’ movement finally, launched an urgent plea to the international community and to the forces concerned about peace and justice to intervene urgently vis-à-vis Morocco so as to compel it stop its gross human rights violations in the occupied territories of the Western Sahara.

On another hand, the Saharawi citizens in the Moroccan city « Mhamid ElGhezlan » pursued their open sit-in in front of the administration of the small city, situated in the south of Morocco, to protest against the ill-treatment perpetrated by the Moroccan authorities against the Saharawi population.

This movement of protest reached its fifth month s far, according to the organisers. (SPS)

020/090/110 311150 Oct 06 SPS

SPS
WESTERN SAHARA/UN

The UN Security Council studies the Western Sahara’s question this Tuesday

Chahid ElHafed, 31/10/ 2006 (SPS) The UN’s Security Council studies the question of the Western Sahara, anew this Tuesday, and should vote for the prorogation of the UN’s mission for another six months in the Non-elf-Governing territory, invaded by Morocco since 1975, reported the Algerian Press Service, APS.

The UN Mission for the organisation of a referendum in the Western Sahara (Minurso), composed of 220 peacekeeping agent, was created in 1991 to supervise the cease-fire signed in September of the same year between Morocco and Polisario Front.

The main duty of the UN’s mission, which is clearly defined in the mission name as the organisation of a referendum, remains unfinished because of the Moroccan refusal to accept the option of the independence of the Western Sahara as one of the referendum’s options.

despite the current "impasse", the UN’s Secretary general, Mr. Kofi Annan, recommended the prolonging the mandate of MINURSO for another six months, in his last report on the Western Sahara.

On his side, Polisario Front’s Secretary General and President of the Saharawi Republic, Mr. Mohamed Abdelaziz, affirmed many time that the successive extension of the MINURSO’s mandate without any political progress should not be a way to "consecrate the Moroccan colonial fait accompli".

Mr. Annan, based on the conclusion of his Personal Envoy, Mr. Peter Van Walsum, recommended in his last report to the Security Council to "call on the two parties, Morocco and the Frente Polisario, to enter into negotiations without preconditions".

The goal of these negotiations should be "with a view to achieving a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution that will provide

for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara", Mr. Annan stressed in his report.

On its side, Polisario Front recently recalled that it has already negotiated for years with Morocco, with which it signed the cease-fire in September 1991, the UN’s Settlement Plan in the same year and the Houston Accords in 1997.

The legitimate representative of the Saharawi people stressed thus that any future negotiations should only discuss the best ways and modalities to hold the self-determination referendum.

Mr. Annan, whose mandate as Secretary General will expire by the end of the year, indicated in his report that he supports to the recommendations of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ (UNHCHR) report on the human rights situation in the occupied territories of the Western Sahara.

"I support the recommendation of OHCHR that all possible efforts be made to ensure respect for the human rights of the people of Western Sahara by all actors and that the United Nations explore with all relevant actors the best way to ensure adequate and continuous human rights monitoring in the region so as to guarantee the full protection of the human rights of the people of Western Sahara", he said.

A delegation of the UNHCHR has visited the occupied territories of the Western Sahara an the refugee camps last May, has indicated in its report that the Moroccan state is perpetrating gross human rights violations in the occupied territories, stressing tat the main reason behind such serious situation in the Western Sahara is due to the non exercise by the Saharawi people to their right to self-determination. (SPS)

020/090/700/TRD 311030 Oct 06 SPS