The POLISARIO Front marks 30 years of struggle for self-determination
On Tuesday 20th May, the POLISARIO Front marked 30 years since the launch of the armed struggle to liberate Western Sahara from colonialism. Two days of festivities in the refugee camps and events in Stockholm, Brussels and Sydney celebrated the survival of the Saharawis’ political organisation and their hopes for independence against considerable odds. International supporters and messages of solidarity from around the world made the point that the Saharawis’ plight is not forgotten. Recalling that the Saharawis are only asking for the implementation of international law, Mohamed Abdelaziz, leader of the Front, reminded the world that the Saharawis’ adherence to a ceasefire should not be taken for granted. The ceasefire was called on the understanding that the UN would organise a referendum of self-determination, but 12 years have passed without this happening. "The Saharawi people have the legitimate right to have recourse to armed force to recover their independence" he said.

Moroccan Press Freedom: Lmrabet sentenced to 4 years
(Guardian, Maroc-Hebdo)

Ali Lmrabet, Moroccan journalist and editor of the weekly satirical publications “Demain” and “Doumane” has been sentenced to four years in prison for “insulting the King” and “undermining the territorial integrity of the Kingdom”. What this means it that he published articles concerning corruption in government and an interview with a Moroccan republican who expressed support for the Saharawi people’s right to self-determination. He has vowed to continue in prison the hunger strike he began when he was charged– according to “Maroc-Hebdo” (Morocco Weekly), he has already lost 6 kilos. Said Lmrabet: “The state has said: 'This time we are going to finish with this man'. There is no satire here. They do not accept humour."

A support committee has been formed, and maintain a french-language website at: www.multimania.com/demainmag; they can be contacted at comite_lmrabet@yahoo.fr .

More calls for release of Moroccan POWs
Mrs Danielle Mitterrand has written to POLISARIO leader Mohamed Abdelaziz to ask for the release of the Moroccan prisoners of war still being held by the Front, on humanitarian grounds. In her letter, she describes the holding of the prisoners as a stain on the honour of the Saharawi people. A delegation from the International Committee of the Red Cross/Red Crescent (ICRC) also visited the POWs recently, spending two weeks in the camps and talking to 707 of the prisoners individually. The ICRC renewed its appeal for all the prisoners to be freed on humanitarian grounds.

1,157 POWs are still being held out of c2,200 who were held at the time of the 1991 ceasefire. Just over 1000 have been released over the intervening 12 years, although not all of them returned to Morocco: in the 1990s, the Moroccan government refused to officially recognise that the POLISARIO held any POWs, and some POWs died in the interval between being released and being allowed to re-enter Morocco.

Earlier this year her France-Libertes Foundation published a report that harshly criticises the Moroccan authorities for human rights abuses in the course of Morocco’s occupation of Western Sahara. Indeed, Mrs Mitterand attended the Stockholm reception to mark the POLISARIO Front’s 30th anniversary; the call for the release of the Moroccan POWs has not meant a lessening of France-Libertes’ support for the rights of Saharawi people also.

Kerr-Mcgee loses shareholders over Western Sahara adventure
(Stavanger Aftenblad, Norway)

“The risk of being part of the American oil company Kerr-McGee is considerably greater than predicted, and we are selling all our shares” said Kristian Falnes of Norwegian company Skagen Vekst to the Norwegian newspaper Stavanger Aftenblad. Falnes specifically cited Kerr-McGee’s contracts with the Moroccan government to look for oil within Western Sahara’s maritime boundaries: last year, the UN ruled that any exploitation of any oil or gas without the consent of the people of Western Sahara would be illegal. “If international society turns its back on the company, it’s running a considerable risk” said Falnes. Skagen Vekst was the largest Norwegian shareholder in Kerr-McGee, holding over $4 million worth of stock.

Erik Hagen of the Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara expressed the Committee’s appreciation of Skagen Vekst’s divestment, but was disappointed that the company had divested solely on grounds of financial prudence and not also because of Kerr-McGee’s “morally reprehensible activities in the occupied territories”, which the newspaper described as “strengthening Morocco’s appetite for Western Sahara.” Norwegian survey company TGS-NOPEC, which carried out survey work for Kerr-McGee in Western Sahara, saw divestment and a slump in its share price following exposure of its role in this controversy: it recently stated that it had made a “mistake” in getting involved, and that it would not consider any more work in Western Sahara until the political situation improved.

Even so, Skagen Vekst’s financially-motivated divestment appears to have touched a nerve. In an Australian newspaper, Kerr-McGee denied all charges of wrongdoing, and insisted their Western Sahara project was viable, saying "there is no point in speculating as to what the future will bring": perhaps a slightly odd thing to say to potential investors…

Human Rights (ARSO correspondent)
The 30th birthday of the POLISARIO Front has seen a predictable swarm of Moroccan police activity in occupied Western Sahara in an effort to intimidate Saharawis into not marking this anniversary. For example, on the day itself, an emissary of the pacha of El Ayoun paid a visit to Lidri Elhoucine, a Saharawi human rights activist, to summon him to the pacha’s office. Lidri declined the invitation, but later the same evening was confronted by the pacha himself, who had been following his car. The pacha accused Lidri of possessing POLISARIO flags, and threatened him with arrest if they were distributed. Lidri is a professor of philosophy and a former member of the executive of the Sahara Section of the Forum for Truth and Justice: his name is on the list of 18 Saharawis accused in the case concerning the Moroccan authorities’ attempt to dissolve the Sahara Section through the courts.

Overview: struggles in the UN

The struggle in the corridors of the UN is very much alive just now. US diplomat William Swing, who has been the UN Special Envoy to Western Sahara and head of MINURSO since November 2001 has just been appointed Special Envoy to the DR Congo, with effect from July 1st this year. No replacement for him has been announced. And two UN Security Council meetings on Western Sahara were cancelled last week due to the non-appearance of James Baker’s report for Kofi Annan to present to the Council. Due out on Monday 19th, the report has still not appeared. Widespread rumours, reported in Spanish broadsheet “El Pais” last Thursday, suggest that Baker is under heavy pressure from the Moroccan government.

The Security Council is now timetabled to discuss Western Sahara on the afternoon of Tuesday 27th May. However, it is likely that there will be another technical extension – a “rollover” – of MINURSO’s mandate until 31st July to give time for all to read, digest and discuss Baker’s report, when it appears.

Both Morocco and the POLISARIO Front had rejected Baker’s latest proposals, presented to them on his tour of the region in January this year. Morocco claims that the proposals for a Saharawi-elected Western Sahara Authority, to have considerable domestic powers (including over natural resource development) during a 5 year transitional period, are unacceptable as they jeopardise “the territorial integrity of the Kingdom”. The POLISARIO Front point to the continued inclusion of all Moroccan colonists who have settled in Western Sahara before 2000 in the final “referendum of self-determination” that will decide the territory’s status as unacceptable. Other problems raised by POLISARIO include the security of the Saharawi population during a long transitional period, the retention of the Moroccan flag, discussion of the problem of “secession” etc for the territory during transition.

There are some hopeful signs. Both sides have recently said they are willing to talk. And the POLISARIO Front has publicly offered a substantial concession over the hearing of appeals to the provisional voter list for the referendum, that would see the 130,000 appeals (mostly from rejected candidates put forward by Morocco) judged by UN staff alone, without representatives from either of the parties present.