http://www.arso.org/01-e04-3334.htm
WESTERN SAHARA
News
SADR
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
ALGERIA-SADR
REFERENDUM
ALGERIA
SPAIN
SOLIDARITY
COMING UP
INTERNET
NEW PUBLICATIONS

SADR

05-06.08.04
A SADR delegate, Dih Mokhtar Daf, took part in
Maputo in a Conference inaugurating the
Association of African Magistrates, which was
held in the capital of Mozambique.

OCCUPIED TERRITORIES

19.08.04
I an appeal in Arabic to the UNHCR and MINURSO,
Saharawi human rights defenders complain of
repeated attacks on their freedom of movement
during the month of August, in particular each
time known activists, such as Daddach, Tamek and
others try to meet Saharawi families coming from
the refugee camps, who are visiting their
relatives in the occupied territories within the
UNHCR family exchange scheme. [statement]
http://www.arso.org/DDHS190804e.htm, [original
Arabic (word file]
http://www.arso.org/DDHS190804.doc

ALGERIA-SADR

Algiers: week of fraternity and solidarity with the Saharawi people (continued)

07.08.04: The Saharawi Prime Minister Abdelkader
Taleb Omar met students from the University
MHamed Bougara de Boumerdes, where the General
Union of Free Students had organised a conference
on the topic of "Freedom". [Le soir d'Algérie]
http://www.lesoirdalgerie.com/articles/2004/08/08/article.php?sid=12357&cid=2

07.08.04: The Saharawi Prime Minister was
received by his Algerian counterpart, Ahmed
Ouyahya, in the presence of the Minister of
Occupied Territories and the Community, El Khalil
Sidi Mohamed, of the Minister of Culture and
Sport, Mariem Salek Hmada, of the Governor of El
Aaiun, Mansour Oumar and the SADR ambassador in
Algeria, Mohamed Yeslem Beissat.[El Moudjahid]
http://80.88.0.236/stories.php?story=04/08/07/8824775
08.08.04: Political personalities,
parliamentarians and academics took part in
Algiers in a meeting organised by the association
"Mechaal al-chahid". Tounsi Ben Amer, professor
at the Algiers Law Faculty, retraced the
development of the question of Western Sahara.
The historian, Tahar Ben Aîcha situated their
solidarity with the Saharawi people well before
the beginning of the conflict: "Already in the
sixties, we had, on the occasion of literary or
academic meetings, the opportunity to meet
certain Saharawi writers and poets". For the
former head of the Algerian government Belaïd
Abdesselam, the Algerian attitude is not formed
at the behest of any political calculation or
manoeuvre, "it is quite simply dictated by the
path of the Algerian people, which also, has
suffered the colonial yoke and has made of the
right of peoples to self-determination an
immutable principle".[El
Moudjahid]http://80.88.0.236/stories.php?story=04/08/08/5852983
[Le soir
d'Algérie]http://www.lesoirdalgerie.com/articles/2004/08/09/article.php?sid=1242\
1&cid=2

08.08.04: Interview with Saharawi Prime Minister:
"We would like to see a more balanced French
position". [L'Expression]
http://www.lexpressiondz.com/T20040809/ZA4-18.htm

09.08.04: The head of the Algerian government,
Ahmed Ouyahia, in a speech delivered at a dinner
given in honour of the President of SADR,
expressed the support of Algeria for the Saharawi
cause pointing out that "any attempt to create
confusion about Algeria's position towards the
conflict in Western Sahara by trying to
misrepresent its sincere wish and commitment to
consolidate entente and harmony in our sub-region
is and will always be a waste of time." "Algeria
invites very particularly the powers and
countries interested in the settlement of this
conflict to ... encourage the two parties
concerned, namely the Kingdom of Morocco and the
Polisario Front, to go forward with putting into
practice the Saharawi people's inalienable right
to self-determination", concluded Ouyahia.[AP]
http://fr.news.yahoo.com/040810/5/4048o.html
In his speech, Mohamed Abdelaziz called "all the
countries interested in stability and peace in
the north west African region to take an active
part in the solution" of the conflict in Western
Sahara, which should be within "the respect for
international legality, the principles of
international law and the charter of the United
Nations". "Any effort or initiative aiming to
take the Saharawi question outside the context of
the United Nations or to side-step its nature as
a case of decolonisation subject to the
principle of self-determination, or further to
deny that it is a conflict between the Moroccan
Kingdom and the Saharawi people represented by
the Polisario Front, will be in vain", he added.
Abdelaziz regretted the "sudden shift" of Rabat
which risks having "dangerous consequences and
repercussions on the peace and stability of the
region".[AFP]
http://www.jeuneafrique.com/gabarits/articleAFP_online.asp?art_cle=AFP63914moham\
latned0

10.08.04: The President of the Saharawi Republic
denounced in a press conference in Algiers "the
rejection by Morocco of all the resolutions of
the Security Council", affirming that the
position of Rabat in the conflict of Western
Sahara "is a very dangerous rebellion against
international law". "We consequently call on all
countries of the world who have not already done
so to recognise SADR, for it is the true and
authentic representative of the will of the
Saharawi people", he added. Abdelaziz announced
that his government would ask for his country to
become a member of the United Nations.

11.08.04: Mohamed Abdelaziz, in an interview with
the Algerian daily, El Watan, expressed his
"indignation at France's position which, by
supporting the Moroccan vision, tries to impose
the Moroccan colonial fait accompli on Western
Sahara".
On Spain: "Up until the present, the Spanish
position is still marked by confusion: one day
the Spanish say yes to the Baker plan but an
"adjusted" one, and another day they say they
favour an Algerian-Moroccan dialogue. Spain takes
one step forward and two steps back." The Baker
plan "cannot be discussed again" and should just
be implemented "without change". This plan is "a
whole and cannot be discussed any further. If the
matter is opened, nothing will remain, it will
become something else. We are firm about
implementing the Baker plan without any change."
[full text ]
http://arso.org.site.voila.fr/AbdelWatan110804.htm

12.08.04: Interview with Brahim Ghali, Polisario
Front representative in Spain, "We know that
France is always behind any proposal which aims
to make the Baker plan fail and to seek dubious
solutions which do not conform with international
law. It is up to the Security Council, the
Secretary General, to James Baker and to
international opinion to confront these
manoeuvres." [La Nouvelle République]
http://www.lanouvellerepublique.com/actualite/lire.php?ida=15175&idc=4&PHPSESSID\
=8b623584dd7d0a7397fb52bb0e5f86c4

REFERENDUM

06.08.04
In a meeting chaired by the Secretary General of
the Polisario Front, Mohamed Abdelaziz, the
Executive of the National Secretariat, enlarged
with Minister-counselors to the President,
ambassadors and high ranking officials of the
organisation, discussed the latest developments
in the struggle of the Saharawi people for
independence in the light of the resignation of
the personal envoy of the UN Secretary General,
James Baker, and the latest Spanish and French
diplomatic moves. The Executive called for the
strict application of United Nations and African
Union resolutions for resolving the conflict in
Western Sahara. (SPS)

10.08.04
The special representative for Western Sahara,
Alvaro de Soto, put off until the first week of
September meetings arranged with Moroccan and
Saharawi officials..[Europa Press]
http://www.europapress.es/europa2003/noticia.aspx?cod=20040810201010&tabID=1&ch=\
69
[L'Expression]
http://www.lexpressiondz.com/T20040812/ZA7-17.htm

19.08.04
Durban, Non-Aligned Movement
The Ministers reiterated the support of the
Movement for the efforts of the United Nations to
organise and supervise an impartial, free and
fair referendum in accordance with the Settlement
Plan, the Houston Agreements and with relevant
Security Council and United Nations resolutions.
The Ministers reaffirmed their support for the
Peace Plan for Self-Determination of the People
of Western Sahara as an optimum political
solution on the basis of agreement between the
two parties.
A Saharawi delegation led by the Minister of
Foreign Affairs Mohamed Salem Ould Salek,
attended the opening ceremony of this 14th
ministerial session of the Non-Aligned Movement.
[Final Document XIV Ministerial Conference of
the NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT (Midterm Review)Durban,
South Africa, 17-19 August 2004]
http://www.nam.gov.za/media/040820.pdf

19.08.04
James speaks out
Two months after having given up his mandate of
Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary General, James
Baker speaks at length on the conflict, his
mission, the causes of his failure and
perspectives for the future in an interview
conducted by the journalist Mishal Husain, after
the screening of the documentary Sahara Marathon
on the American TV channel PBS. A must-read
document.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/printable/transcript_sahara_print.html

ALGERIA

17.08.04
According to an "authorised source" quoted by
APS, Algeria "continues to foster the hope of
seeing its relations with Morocco rid of all
unilateral action, and principally, not to be
dependent on unacceptable preambles, such as
giving a blessing to the fait accompli of Western
Sahara and contempt for international law"...
"Algeria considers, like the international
community, that [the question of Western Sahara
is] a question of decolonisation to be completed
and that every solution must inevitably include
the exercise by the Saharawi people of their
right to self-determination, through a free and
fair referendum. The implementation of these
plans and accords [of the OAU, UN, Houston and
the Baker plan ] is today back in the melting pot
only because of the Moroccan party which persists
in ignoring international law and to be
advocating solutions which are outside this
legality." ... "Algeria reaffirms, in the most
solemn fashion, that it cannot and will not, in
any case, substitute itself for the Polisario
Front, the legitimate and exclusive
representative of the Saharawi people, and any
attempt in this direction will only delay peace
in Western Sahara and lead to an impasse." [El
Moudjahid]
http://80.88.0.236/stories.php?story=04/08/17/7265056
[SPS]


SPAIN

08-14.08.04
World Festival of Youth - VIth Conference of solidarity with Saharawi youth
Over sixty young Saharawis took part in the 111rd
World Festival of Youth which took place
alongside the Forum of Barcelona. A photographic
exhibition of the struggle of the Saharawi people
and NGOs active in the defence of human rights
and the search for disappeared Saharawis was
displayed in a big traditional tent made from
sheep wool and camel hair.
This is where on 11 and 12 August, the VIth
conference of solidarity with Saharawi youth was
held in collaboration with the Youth of Spain and
the National Council of Catalan Youth. The
Secretary General of the Union of Saharawi Youth,
Mohamed Mouloud Mohamed Fadel, in his speech
called for the delegations attending the festival
to take action of get international law respected
in Western Sahara. For his part, the Saharawi
Ambassador in Algiers, Mohammed Beissat, asked
the Spanish government for "a greater presence at
a more positive attitude ... in order to find a
just solution" to the question of the Sahara.
Members of the Istiqlal youth (Moroccan
nationalist party) tried to make trouble at the
closing ceremony of the conference, provoking the
intervention of security agents, who expelled
them. The VIth conference finished with the final
declaration being read on Western Sahara calling
for the respect of the inalienable right of the
Saharawi people to self-determination and
independence.[SPS] [Photos]
http://spsrasd.info.site.voila.fr/barcelo04/barcelo04.htm
[La Razon]
http://www.larazon.es/noticias/noti_cul3817.htm
[La Razon]
http://www.larazon.es/noticias/noti_nac3894.htm
[Europa Press]
http://www.europapress.es/europa2003/noticia.aspx?cod=20040812215840&tabID=1&ch=\
73

SOLIDARITY

19.08.04
Seminar in Melbourne on Resources and
Independence : parallels between East Timor and
Western Sahara
The Institute of Postcolonial Studies hosted a
meeting organised jointly by the Australia-East
Timor Association and the Australia-Western
Sahara Association at which Kamal Fadel,
Polisario Front representative in Australia and
Kwame Mfodwo, an international lawyer at Monash
University spoke about Western Sahara. The
speakers for East Timor were Alex Tilman
(Fretilin) and Helen Hill (Victoria University
and chair of AETA). Australians already aware of
the struggle in East Timor were able to
understand a very similar struggle on the other
side of the world where independence has still to
be

COMING UP ...

Timor Leste - 5º Aniversário do Referendo
Exposição "Timor Loro Sae - A Nação do Sol Nascente"
A exposição estará patente ao público de 28 de
Agosto a 11 de Setembro na Loja do Cidadão em
Aveiro. SUL - Associação de Cooperação para o
Desenvolvimento, [e.mail <sulcoopdes@...>
WEB]
<http://www.sul-online.org/arquivo.asp?area=&grupo=&assunto=&id=590>

Festival Internacional de Cine del Sahara 16 al
19 de diciembre de 2004. Campos de refugiados.
Para más información: Correo electrónico:
festival-2@... . Próximamente
disponible la Página WEB actualizada
(Septiembre). http://www.festivalsahara.com

Musique: MARIEM HASSAN
24 .08. Santander (teatro Bonifaz, 10 noche)
11.09. Málaga, festival de la Luna Mora,
18.09. Guadalajara,
20.09. Almuñecar (Granada)
Belgium/Netherland: 5/6.11.04
Finnland: 10.-14.11.04
Switzerland (Delémont and Bern) 19-20.11.04
Germany: 10.12.04 Berlin
booking contact: nubenegra, zazie wurr tel.
0034.91.3658234 <http://www.nubenegra.com>

A FILM NIGHT TO SUPPORT THE PEOPLE OF WESTERN SAHARA
Featuring the premiere of "it's a long way to
Tifariti" a film by Yvette Andrews
14th September 2004, 6:30pm-8:30pm, Sydney, the
Parliamentary Theatrette, Parliament House,
Macquarie Street. Cost $20/$15conc, rsvp: 9230
2301 by 10 September.
http://www.arso.org/07.htm#austrfilm
La secretaria de Estado de Cooperación
Internacional, Leire Pajín, prevé visitar en
septiembre los campamentos de refugiados
saharauis de Tinduf (Argelia)[Europa Press]
http://www.europapress.es/europa2003/noticia.aspx?cod=20040816132230&tabID=1&ch=\
66

LAS PRIMERAS JORNADAS INTERNACIONALES SOBRE
DERECHOS HUMANOS DEL PUEBLO SAHARAUI, 1 y 2 de
octubre de 2004, Ciudad de Olivenza (Badajoz )
http://www.arso.org/07.htm#DHbadajoz

30 Conferencia EUCOCO - 30ème Conférence EUCOCO - 30th EUCOCO Conference:
Saragosse 26, 27 et 28 Novembre 2004
Zaragoza (Spain), 26, 27 and the 28 of November 2004.
Zaragoza (España) 26,27 y 28 de noviembre de
2004. http://www.umdraiga.com/eucoco2004.htm


INTERNET

DOCUMENTS
- CONFERENCE DE L'UNION AFRICAINE, Troisieme
Session Ordinaire 06 au 08 Juillet 2004.
Cinquieme Session Ordinaire du Conseil Executif
30 Juin au 03 Juillet 2004. RAPPORT DE LA
COMMISSION: Sahara Occidental.
http://arso.org.site.voila.fr/RapCommUA.doc
- ASSEMBLY OF THE AFRICAN UNION, Third Ordinary
Session 06-08 July, 2004. Fifth Ordinary Session
of the Executive Council, June 30 -July 03, 2004.
REPORT OF THE COMMISSION : Western Sahara.
http://arso.org.site.voila.fr/RapCommUA.doc

- Documentary on Saharawis
WIDE ANGLE : Sahara Marathon
On occasion of the programmation on 19 August of
the documentary "Sahara Marathon" on PBS -TV
(Public Broadcasting Service) there are some
interesting pages on their website
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/ , with
Informations
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/shows/sahara
and a poll and a photoessay: who are the
Saharawis?
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/shows/sahara/photo.html
and a Narrative: Running your first Sahara
marathon
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/shows/sahara/narrative.html
and also an Interview with James A. Baker III :
Former U.S. Secretary of State, and former
Personal Envoy of the U.N. Secretary General to
Western Sahara, James A. Baker III discusses the
protracted conflict in Western Sahara with host
Mishal Husain. (19.08.04, PBS-TV) >> read the
transcript
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/printable/transcript_sahara_print.html
or Watch the video

- Actualización de la pagina sobre la destrucción
del FUERTE de VILLA CISNEROS
http://sahara_opinions.site.voila.fr/fotosD/photodakhla.htm

- SAHARA LIBRE, No 397, août revue en ARABE. http://www.essahraelhora.com
- Sahara libre!! Referéndum Ya!! http://groups.msn.com/saharalibrereferendumya

OPINION
- Las mentiras de Chartát, Abdati Breika Brahim.
http://sahara_opinions.site.voila.fr/abdatiBr.htm
- Réflexions sur l'instabilité de la politique
espagnole vis à vis de la question du Sahara
Occidental - Double jeu espagnol, Malainin
Lakhal.
http://sahara_opinions.site.voila.fr/MLakhal0804.htm
- Reflexiones sobre la inestabilidad de la
politíca española frente al asunto del Sahara
Occidental, Doble juego español , Malainin
Lakhal.
http://sahara_opinions.site.voila.fr/MLakhal0804s.htm
- The Polisaro: A Liberation Movement or a Tool
of the Cold War? A Sahrawi in the USA.
http://sahara_opinions.site.voila.fr/SahUSA.htm
- La lutte sacrée du peuple sahraoui, Hamdi Salek
Allal.
http://sahara_opinions.site.voila.fr/HamdiSalek.htm
- Don Quichotte et Sancho , S.Khatri.
http://sahara_opinions.site.voila.fr/SKhatri3.htm
- Le F. POLISARIO et la culture du peuple Sahraouie
>> L'art et la révolution, 1ère partie, S.Khatri.
>>http://sahara_opinions.site.voila.fr/SKhatri1.htm
>> Le théâtre et le pouvoir, 2ème partie,
>>S.Khatri.
>>http://sahara_opinions.site.voila.fr/SKhatri2.htm
- General Bens: Selam Aleikum, Javier Perote
Pellón.
http://sahara_opinions.site.voila.fr/fotosD/dakhlamasinfo2.htm
- L'Espagne et les tentacules marocaines, Hamdi
Salek Allal.
http://sahara_opinions.site.voila.fr/HamdiSalekA2.htm
- CARTA de Jorge Márquez, soldado de Tropas
Nómadas del Sahara Español, al Sr. José Luis
Rodriguez Zapatero, Presidente del Gobierno de
España.
http://sahara_opinions.site.voila.fr/JorgeMarquez.htm

- Appeal to all Saharawi Nationalists
Commentaries
http://sahara_opinions.site.voila.fr/FPcomment.htm

NEW PUBLICATIONS
[External links to newspapers may not be valid
after some days because the servers are restarted]

Français
>> Revue de la presse internationale francophone
>>http://fr.groups.yahoo.com/group/revue-de-presse-sahara-occidental/messages

- Une écriture photographique, commentaire de
Marion Perceval (09.08.04), à l'occasion de la
parution del'ouvrage de Gérald Bloncourt et Boris
Dänzer-Kantof, Le Regard engagé - Mémoires d'un
franc-tireur de l'image, Bourin Editeur, 2004.
http://www.parutions.com/index.php?pid=1&rid=10&srid=55&ida=4785
- Au coeur des camps des réfugiés Sahraouis. Les
desperados d'El Ayoun, Karim Kebir, Liberté,
Alger, 09.08.04.
http://www.liberte-algerie.com/edit.php?id=27340
- Numéro spécial du Journal hebdomadaire, Maroc,
"dédié au premier quinquennat du Roi Mohammed VI
et à l'héritage politique de Hassan II",
31.07.04. http://www.lejournal-hebdo.com/

English
- English publications on Sahara Update
mailinglist:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sahara-update/messages

- Seismic divestment offshore occupied Western
Sahara, afrol News, 09.08.04.
http://www.afrol.com/articles/13661
- Spain drums up global support for W. Sahara
deal, Emma Graham-Harrison, Reuters, 09.08.04.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L09282682.htm

NEW BOOK:
Toby Shelley, Endgame in the Western Sahara. What
Future for Africa's Last Colony? Zed Books, .
More infos and special conditions for arso
friends. http://www.arso.org/TSbook.htm

Castellano
- Revista de la prensa en español
http://es.groups.yahoo.com/group/revista-de-prensa-sahara-occidental/messages

- Nuevo documental-video "AADAT" realizado por
Xisela Franco & Noé Rodríguez, 2004, 22 minutes.
[Premio ciudad de Madrid al mejor documental
español (festival: DOCUMENTA MADRID -04)- Premio
mejor obra de Videocreación (XIX FESTIVAL
AUDIOVISUAL VITORIA - GASTEIZ-2004)- Seleccionado
XI Festival Internacional de Jóvenes Realizadores
(Granada 2004)- Seleccionado en Festival
Audiovisual Universidad de Tarragona.-
Seleccionado XXXII Festival Iberamericano de
Salvador de Bahía.- Seleccionado en el Festival
de Cine de Derechos Humanos (
Bilbao-Madrid-Barcelona)] CONTACTO: Xisela Franco
Tel. 699418118 >>
http://arso.org.site.voila.fr/Aadat.html

Italiano
- L´Emilia-Romagna incontra i bambini del
Saharawi, Emilianet, 22.07.04.
http://www.emilianet.it/database/emilianet/emilianet2.nsf/0/DAEE4B6489017FFAC125\
6ED90023B577?OpenDocument
- Il comune sigla un patto di amicizia coi
Saharawi . Calestano, mano tesa ai piccoli
ambasciatori, Gazzetta di Parma, 08.08.04.
http://www.gazzettadiparma.it/gazzetta%5Csito%5CArticoli.nsf/0/7d5e58225f5f9cd1c\
1256eea002d1d?Open

Portugais
POLISARIO pede apoio para resolver o conflito,
"Noticias", Mozambique, 11.08.04.
POLISARIO quer aplicacao integral do "Plano
Baker", Lusa, "Noticias", Mozambique, 12.08.04.

Deutsch
- Mariem Hassan, Umjubelte Kämpferin, F. von
Niederhäusern, Züritipp/Tagesanzeiger, Zürich,
12.08.04.
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A R S O
Association de soutien a un referendum libre et regulier au Sahara Occidental
CH-2800 DELEMONT
E-mail: mailto:arso@... URL: http://www.arso.org
Tel.:+41 32 422 87 17 Fax: +41 32 422 87 01
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~