Enviado da ONU se reunirá com presidente saaráui

Argel, O novo enviado da ONU para o Saara Ocidental, Christopher Ross, se reunirá no próximo dia 20 com o presidente saaráui, Mohammed Abdelaziz, nos campos de refugiados de Tinduf (Argélia), informou hoje à Agência Efe o embaixador da República Árabe Saaráui Democrática (RASD) na Argélia, Brahim Ghali.

Ross, que inicia na próxima semana uma viagem pela área, tentará retomar o processo de negociações dirigidas para uma solução ao conflito, cuja quarta e última rodada ocorreu em março de 2008.

O enviado especial do secretário-geral da ONU "irá aos acampamentos de Tinduf, onde haverá conversas com o presidente Abdelaziz", disse Ghali, que disse que a reunião do dia 20 acontecerá poucos dias antes das festividades do aniversário da criação da RASD.

A Frente Polisário prepara-se para celebrar, de 22 a 28 de fevereiro, o 33º aniversário do estabelecimento da RASD, com um programa que inclui uma maratona da qual participarão 650 atletas da América Latina, Europa e África.

O movimento independentista saaráui, que anunciou a presença a esta celebração de delegações políticas estrangeiras de alto nível, prevê também a organização de uma conferência internacional sobre a reconstrução dos territórios saaráuis livres.

Ross iniciará sua viagem com uma visita ao Marrocos, antes de ir aos acampamentos de Tinduf.

Deverá fazer outras consultas também na Argélia e nas Mauritânia, dois países que têm a condição de observadores no processo de paz da ONU.

Saharawi student receives three awards for her commitment to her people’s right to freedom

Ms. Senia Bachir-Abderahman, a young Saharawi student, received three awards, last February 9, for her work as a student at Mount Holyoke College in the USA, for her commitment for her people’s freedom and right to self-determination. Two of the awards were given to Senia for her commitment for Western Sahara. The McCulloch Center Global Engagement Award for demonstrating "a high level of personal commitment to the community beyond the campus" and The Kelly Sottile Community Service Award for "outstanding commitment to raising awareness of critical global issues across campus and beyond". Senia Bachir-Abderahman is described by her college as "a tireless advocate for the some 200,000 refugees from Western Sahara living in camps in Algeria. Senia Bachir-Abderahman, who was born and raised in an Algerian refugee camp and still is without citizenship from her home country, has spoken biannually at the United Nations since 2006 on behalf of the Western Saharawi plea for independence". Senia gave the money from the Kelly Sottile Community Service Award to the Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara. http://vest-sahara.no/index.php?parse_news=single&cat=1&art=1137 http://www.mtholyoke.edu/news/channels/25/stories/5681074 http://www.mtholyoke.edu/news/channels/22/stories/5681099 http://www.flickr.com/photos/mhc/sets/72157613582438471/

POLISARIO representative in Denmark received by high figure of opposition party

POLISARIO Front’s Deputy Representative in Denmark, Abba Malainin, was received Last Thursday at the Headquarters of the Danish Parliament (FOLKETINGET) by the Danish MP and Spokesman of the Social Democratic Party in the Parliament, Mr. Mogens Lykketoft to brief him about the latest developments of the question of Western Sahara, the last Colony in Africa. Mr. Mogens Lykketoft is a former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark and a former Leader of the Danish Social Democratic Party. His party is the biggest party of opposition in Denmark and has 46 seats in the actual Parliament, a press release by the Saharawi representation indicated. The Saharawi Diplomat highlighted the UN peace process, POLISARIO’s Proposition Plan to resolve the issue of Western Sahara, the expected visit to the region of the new Representative of the UN Secretary General, Mr. Christopher Ross and the fifth round of negotiations between POLISARIO FRONT and Morocco, the aim of these negotiations, as defined by the UN Security Council, is to achieve a political solution to the conflict in Western Sahara, which respects the right to self-determination of the Saharawi people. The talks also tackled the grave human rights violations in the occupied territories, the latest Report of Human Rights Watch and the visit of the Ad - Hoc Delegation of the European Parliament to Western Sahara, that since 2005, the Moroccan authorities, have tried all means to prevent its visit to the occupied territories of Western Sahara where repression on a daily basis is perpetuated against the Saharawi population. The discussions also centred on the illegal exploitation and plundering of the natural resources of Western Sahara by Morocco and foreign Companies, which became political actors that reap profits from the conflict. While Morocco finances the occupation by usurping the country’s resources. The Saharawi Diplomat emphasized on the illegality of the inclusion of the Territory of Western Sahara in the two Agreements between the European Union and Morocco; the Fisheries Agreement of 2006 and the Advanced Status for Cooperation 2008 on the basis that Western Sahara is classified by the UN as Non-autonomous Territory and that the UN does not recognize the Sovereignty of Morocco over Western Sahara. These agreements might send the wrong signals to Morocco to continue her occupation and to escalate the violations of human rights in occupied Western Sahara, the same source stressed.