July 2011

Boujdour (Occupied Territories) July 29, 2011 (SPS) - A brutal intervention of the Moroccan army forces against Sahrawi citizens in the occupied city of Boujdour (the third town in Western Sahara) resulted in casualties among them, after they went out in a peaceful march to protest the looting and attrition of the natural resources of Western Sahara, according to sources of the Ministry for the Occupied Territories and Communities Abroad.

Madrid, July 29, 2011 (SPS)-- Head of Extremadura Parliament Fernando Manzano affirmed Tuesday in the capital Mérida that all humanitarian aid for the Sahrawis must be considered as an "act of solidarity" with the Sahrawi cause and a "political act of support to the holding of self-determination referendum" in Western Sahara, local press reported Wednesday.

New York (UN), July 29, 2011 (SPS) - Secretary General Ban Ki-moon named Wednesday Major General Abdul Hafiz as Commander of the Force Commander of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).

Major General Hafiz, 54, succeeds Major General Jingmin Zhao of China, whose tour of duty ended on 10 April 2011

New York, July 28, 2011 (SPS)  UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed, Wednesday, Major General Abdul Hafiz of Bangladesh as the Force Commander of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Martin Nesersky, declared Wednesday 

Rome, July 27th, 2011 (SPS) - The Sahrawi activist Aminatou Haidar, a women symbolizing the peaceful struggle for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, has been awarded "Citizen of Honour" of the Italian town of Montespertoli, announced Montespertoli Town Council in a statement.

The ceremony held for that purpose took place in the presence of the Saharawi representative in Tuscany, Abdella Mohamed Salem, and an invited group of Saharawi children in Italy.

Rabat, July 27, 2011 (SPS) - In one of the worst air disasters in Moroccan history, a military transport plane crashed into a mountain on Tuesday morning in the southern region of the country killing at least 78 people, international media reported Tuesday.

The Hercules C-130, a turbo-prop military transport plane made in the United States, was carrying 12 civilians, 9 crew members, and 60 members of the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces.

Salzburg (Austria), July 26, 2011 (SPS) - The Secretary of State for Youth and Sports, Mr. Mohamed Mouloud Mohamed Fadel, is participating in the work of the World Festival of International Socialist Youth, which launched Tuesday in city of Salzburg west of the capital Vienna.

More three thousand young people from around the world are taking part in the festival, including a delegation of Sahrawi youth.

El Aaiun (Occupied Territories), July 26, 2011 (SPS) - The Moroccan authorities of occupation prevented Monday dozens of unemployed Sahrawi from taking a peaceful sit-in outside the mandate headquarters in the occupied city of El Aaiun, according to a source of the Ministry of Occupied Territories and Communities Abroad.

Dili (East Timor) July 25, 2011 (SPS) - The Ambassador of the Saharawi Republic (SADR) in Dili, Mr. Mohamed Salama Badi, met Monday at government palace Mr. José Luís Guterres, East Timorese deputy prime minister, according to the SADR Embassy in Timor-Leste.

Paris, July 24, 2011 (SPS) - The French government announced Saturday that obstructing the talks to find a solution for the Western Sahara cause “does not benefit anyone”, confirming its continuation to support the negotiation for reaching to a solution to the conflict in Western Sahara, French Press Service (AFP) reported.

Shaheed Al Hafed (refugee camps) July 24, 2011 (SPS) - In a letter reached Sunday SPS, the Saharawi Union of Youth, UJSARIO, has vigorously condemned the vicious deadly attacks that targeted the Norwegian government buildings and the peaceful youth camp at Utoeya, expressing heartfelt condolences to families of the deceased and injured.

Here is complete read of the letter sent by Mr. Moussa Salma, secretary general of UJSARIO, to the Norwegian Labour Youth:

“Norwegian Labour Youth

Oslo

Saturday, 23 July 2011

Bir Lehlou (liberated territories) July 24, 2011 (SPS) -The President of the Republic and Secretary General of the Polisario Front, Mr. Mohamed Abdelaziz, has expressed the deepest and sincere condolences of the Saharawi government and people as well as the Frente Polisario to the Prime Minister of Norway for the loss of innocent lives in a summer camp near the capital Oslo, in a letter reached Saturday SPS.

Following is complete read of the letter:

“H.E. Mr. Jens Stoltenber

Prime Minister of Norway

Oslo

United Nations, July 22, 2011 (SPS) - The eigth round of informal negotiations between the Polisario Front and Morocco concluded Thursday, without major progress, according to a statement of the UN Secretary General’s Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, Ambassador Christopher Ross.

The UN envoy confirmed that both parties, Frente Polisario and Morocco, “started a discussion on ways to tackle the agreed topics for discussion, namely natural resources and demining, and requested the assistance of the UN to propose a framework for reflection for future exchanges.”

Budapest (Poland) July 22, 2011 (SPS) - In a letter addressed Friday to the prime minister of Poland, the Central and Eastern European Alliance for Solidarity with the Saharawi People (CEE Alliance) has called the attention of the Polish government about the continued and systematic human rights abuses and to the ongoing plunder of Western Sahara’s natural resources.

United Nations, July 22, 2011 (SPS) - “The UN remains more than ever committed to a solution guaranteeing the right to self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, but Morocco is determined to continue to undermine the current efforts since Morocco is concerned by the results of any democratic consultation of the Saharawi people,” said Thursday Mr. Khatri Addouh, head of the negotiating delegation of the Polisario Front after the 8th informal meeting held from July 19 to 21, 2011 at Greentree (Manhasset).

NewYork, July 20, 2011 (SPS) - The eighth round of UN-sponsored informal talks between the Polisario Front and Morocco on the Western Sahara issue opened Wednesday in Manhasset (New York).

The two-day meeting, the fourth in the current year and over a month after the last informal round, is being held behind closed doors under the auspices of the UN Secretary General’s special envoy for Western Sahara Christopher Ross, in the presence of the delegations of the two parties to the conflict and representatives of the two observing countries, Algeria and Mauritania.

Bir Lehlou (Liberated Territories), July 20, 2011(SPS) - The President of the Republic and secretary general of the Polisario Front, Mohamed Abdelaziz, addressed a message of condolence to Mrs Kay Eagleton family following the death of her husband

Boumerdes (Algeria), July 19, 2011 (SPS) - The President of the Republic and the Secretary General of the Polisario Front , Mr. Mohamed Abdelaziz, qualified Tuesday in Boumerdes, the agenda presented by the UN Secretary General concerning the eighth informal meeting between the Polisario Front and Morocco as "important," because the proposals of both parties will be discussed.

Boumerdes (Algeria), July 19, 2011 (SPS) - The Saharawi President, Mohamed Abdelaziz called Tuesday in Boumerdes on the UN to assume its full responsibility in the Western Sahara issue and the decolonization of the territory.

In a speech at the closing ceremony of the 2nd Summer School of Polisario and SADR cadres, Mr. Abdelaziz called for sanctions against the Moroccan government, which ignores international law, release of political prisoners and shedding light on the fate of more than 651 disappeared Saharawi.

Boumerdes (Algeria), July 19, 2011 (SPS)- The President of the Algerian National Committee of Solidarity with the Saharawi people (CNASPS), Mr. Mehrez  Lamari called Tuesday in Boumerdes on the UN and the Security Council to enable the Saharawi people to exercise its right to self-determination and decolonization of Western Sahara.