POLISARIO Front head favours dialogue with Morocco, denies Al-Qa’idah presence

(Al-Jazeera [Qatar]) -- On 12 December a recorded 23-minute interview with Mohamed Abdelaziz, the secretary-general of the POLISARIO Front, by Mohamed Baba Ould Ashfa, from the "Today’s Encounter" programme. The place and date of the interview were not specified. Ould Ashfa begins the interview by asking Abdelaziz if he still believes that dialogue is the best way to resolve the Western Sahara issue. Abdelaziz says: "We met with the UN secretary-general on 4 November and he assured us that the United Nations continues to work for implementing UN Security Council resolutions providing for holding direct and intensive negotiations between Morocco and the POLISARIO Front under UN auspices to reach a peaceful and just solution ensuring the Western Sahara people’s right to self-determination." He says that he reassured the UN secretary-general of the Front’s "readiness to continue along this course and we voiced our strong indignation at the obstacles that the Kingdom of Morocco is putting on the way to prevent this dialogue." Asked if the front can offer concessions for the sake of an agreement, he says that on 4 April 2007, the POLISARIO Front presented a proposal to the United Nations that the UN organization should organize a referendum to allow the Saharan people to have self-determination, noting that there would be three options: Independence, merger with the Kingdom of Morocco, or an autonomy. He says that if the people vote for independence, "we expressed our readiness to start negotiations with the Kingdom of Morocco to reach agreement, ensuring Morocco’s economic and security interests, and dealing with the issue of the Moroccan settlers." He says that this means that we are prepared to take care of the concerns of the Kingdom of Morocco. He adds: "Therefore, we do not set the condition that independence is the final solution." Abdelaziz says the issue is within the process of liquidating colonialism, as mentioned in UN reports, as well as The Hague’s court’s ruling that Morocco has never had sovereignty over the Western Sahara and that the problem can be resolved by people’s self-determination. He says this means that the Saharan people’s right to realize self-determination is legitimate. He says that the POLISARIO Front preferred the peaceful solution and responded to UN calls. Abdelaziz adds: "However, the Front’s 12th congress, held in Tifariti last December, said that in case the Moroccan government continues to impede a solution ensuring the Saharan people’s rights to self-determination, and based on the legitimate struggle of the POLISARIO Front, the people will take up arms to defend their legitimate national rights." Asked if the withdrawal of certain POLISARIO figures to the Moroccan side harmed the front, he replies that this is not important, noting that the Moroccan side in the talks did not include any Saharan figures from those who had identified with the POLISARIO Front. Abdelaziz says that the United States so far does not recognize Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara. He says the United States seems to be encouraging negotiations between the POLISARIO Front and the Kingdom of Morocco to reach a solution that ensures the Western Sahara people’s right to self-determination. He says based on the "character" of the new US President-Elect Obama and the major principles of his political programme, we are optimistic. We hope that during President Obama’s era the last manifestation of colonialism in Africa; namely, the Western Sahara issue, will be removed." Asked about the committee that the EU Parliament formed to look into the dispute over the Western Sahara issue, he says that last year the EU Parliament decided to send a special mission from the EU Parliament to look into issues pertaining to human rights, freedoms and the conditions of the Saharan people in the occupied area of the Western Sahara. He adds: "Regrettably, the Moroccan government continues to place obstacles on the path of this mission." Answering a question, he says that at its 12th congress, the front decided to develop the "liberated areas," adding that this requires investments and efforts, "but we are working to establish infrastructure and breathe life into these areas, starting with water and schools and other things." Asked where they will have the funds to do that, "apart from Algerian aid," he replies that the front has been able to establish relations of solidarity with states in Africa, Latin America and other regions, as well as non-governmental organizations. He says the main financial assistance comes from this "network," in addition to backing from "certain states like Algeria, South Africa and Venezuela." He says assistance from Spain is basically "humanitarian," in the field of education, health and social affairs. Asked about "internal struggles" within the front, Abdelaziz says that the front is a liberation movement and it has never been confined to a certain ideology to the exclusion of others. Its aim has always been liberating the Western Sahara, liquidating colonialism and realizing the legitimate national aspirations of the Saharan people. He adds: "Thus, the POLISARIO Front has remained open to all opinions and ideologies. Moreover, the POLISARIO Front is a democratic movement. General people’s congresses are held once every three years, during which we renew our leadership, and review our programmes, laws, polices and strategies. Thus, all opinions pertaining to freedom, self-determination and independence for the Saharan people will find a place in this regard. Therefore, I have no information at all about anyone who believes and defends national independence and yet does not find a place in the POLISARIO Front. "True opinions are not identical, there are various opinions. We discuss and differ on matters of opinion but we agree and defend collectively the points of agreement among us. It is also true that 17 years of vigil and the state of no-war and no-peace resulted in a great disappointment among the people of the Sahara in general, whether here in the refugee camps, in the occupied territory, or in Morocco itself, especially among the youths. There are strong calls, and sometimes pressures, on the leadership, to resume fighting or resolve the problem by a referendum on self-determination as soon as possible. But we continue to hold dialogue and we are trying to convince the majority of the Saharan people to continue on the path of negotiations and to ask the United Nations to arrange a referendum, and thus postpone a return to war until we are certain that a peaceful approach will not bring the results that we aspire for." Asked about the presence of fighters in the region who "are active in the Al-Qa’idah Organization in the Islamic Maghreb states," if the front has become party to the war against "so-called terrorism," and if there is any coordination between the front and Mauritania and Mali, for instance, he replies: "I would like to assure you that the liberated areas from the Western Sahara territory are being watched by the POLISARIO Front forces and there is no presence of these groups. None of their elements passed through them in any way whatsoever, so far. Moreover, the POLISARIO Front categorically and firmly rejects terrorism. We are involved in an African effort. We are a state in the African Union and there are policies and departments that take care of this and coordinate positions in this regard. Meetings and conferences are being held and efforts made, and we are involved in these policies with all the strength at our disposal within the framework of the AU and we contribute to confronting terrorism within this framework. "Furthermore, if there is a regional effort and a framework pertaining to Northwest Africa or Western Africa in general, we will be prepared to be involved in such an effort. Naturally, our coordination is very strong with our two neighbours, Algeria and Mauritania, in this connection and we are perfectly prepared. Asked if this means that apart form the Algerian backing, official Arab support is nonexistent, he replies: "True, throughout our long resistance since the Spanish colonial rule, the Arab countries have not contributed to supporting us, as they contributed to backing some Arab liberation movements, especially in Palestine and in Algeria during the revolution. We receive much less support." He says Algeria, and sometimes Libya helped the POLISARIO Front. He adds: "We regret that. We ask our Arab brothers to be with us in our ordeal. Our case is just like what happened between Eastern Timor and Indonesia. Our case is similar to what happened between Iraq and Kuwait. The Arabs rushed to assist Kuwait in confronting the Iraqi invasion at a certain stage and therefore, there is no justification for refraining from assisting the Saharan people in confronting the Moroccan invasion." Concluding, Abdelaziz says that "the Arabs should help us, their brothers, and they can help us because we are their oppressed brothers." He adds" "Morocco is their unjust brother" and they also should help it "by giving it advice and making it desist from oppressing us."