April 2012

London, April 16, 2012 (SPS) - The British Foreign Minister, Mr. Alister Burt, reiterated Monday, during talks held in London with Moroccan Minister Delegate for Foreign Affairs Youssef Omrani, commitment of the United Kingdom to respect human rights in Western Sahara.

British Minister assured hat the UK “remains engaged on human rights, and will continue to support the political negotiations under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Western Sahara, Ambassador Christopher Ross.” (SPS)

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Pretoria (South Africa), April 16, 2012 (SPS) - The personal envoy of the President of the Republic, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Mohamed Salem Ould Salek, received Monday in the city of Durban by the President of South Africa, Mr. Jacob Zuma, along with Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr. Maite Nkoana-Mashabane.

New York, April 16, 2012 (SPS) - The Polisario Front denounced Monday the actions being done by the French representation to the UN to influence the content of the next resolution on Western Sahara expected to be adopted by the Security Council before the end of this April.

Madrid, April 16, 2012 (SPS) - The Coordination of the Spanish Associations of solidarity with the Saharawi people (CEAS-Sahara) has called on Madrid Government to live up to its commitments for enabling the Saharawi people to exercise their right to self-determination, in a communiqué concluded its sixth session held Saturday and Sunday in the Province of Zamora.

CEAS-Sahara appealed to the Government of Spanish Popular Party, led by Mr. Mariano Rajoy, to adhere to its prior pledges as an administrative power of Western Sahara.

Berlin, April 16, 2012 (SPS) - At the initiative of the German support group “Projektgruppe Westsahara”, many people staged Saturday outside the French Embassy in Berlin, as in many other cities, to demand that human rights abuses in Western Sahara be halted and calling on France to allow giving the MINURSO the power to monitor human rights in the Territory.

Washington, April 15, 2012 (SPS) - Human Rights Watch has called on the Security Council to enlarge the functions of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) to include the monitoring of the Saharawi people’s human rights.

In a letter sent to Security Council 15 members, HRW recalled that MINURSO is “one of the few UN missions in charge of peace-keeping operations that have no power to monitor human rights.”

, April 15, 2012 (SPS) - The Australia Western Sahara Association (AWSA) organized Friday a protest in front of the French Consulate in Melbourne under the slogan: human rights for Western Sahara - the time is now!, to urge France to vote in favor of adding human rights monitoring to the mandate of MINURSO, informed Polisario Representation in Australia.

Oslo (Norway), April 15, 2012 (SPS) - Some twenty people including Norwegian and Saharawi students staged Saturday morning in front of the French embassy in Oslo to demand that France allowing the inclusion of human rights monitoring in Western Sahara within MINURSO mandates.

The participants indicated that Norway, UK and several other states have expressed that the mandate of the UN mission sohould be extended to include human rights observation, but France - Morocco's closest ally - objects to such human rights monitoring in the territory that Morocco is illegally occupying.

Wilaya of Smara (refugee camps), April 15, 2012 (SPS) - The Saharawi Students Union (UESARIO) organized Saturday an international demonstration in the Saharawi refugee camps, occupied territories and in front of the French embassies in more than 12 European countries as well as Australia and U.S. to demand that France stop rejecting the inclusion of monitoring of human rights abuses in Western Sahara to mandates of MINURSO.

Algiers, April 12, 2012 (SPS) - President of republic and Secretary General of the Polisario Front, Mr. Mohamed Abdelaziz took part Friday at the funeral procession of the firs President of Algeria, Ahmed Ben Bela.

The funeral took place at the People’s palace in the capital Algiers.

The President of the Republic signed the condolences book, highlighting “Ben Bella was and will remain one of historical symbols of Algeria; we pay tribute to what he did in favor of the glory of Algeria”.

United Nations, April 13, 2012 (SPS) - The Polisario Front representative to UN, Boukhari Ahmed, has underlined that "people of Western Sahara must be granted their right to determine their own political future", in a letter addressed on Thursday to President of the UN Security Council - US Permanent Representative, Suzan Rice.

below is the full text of the letter:

"H. E. Ms. Susan E. Rice

President of the UN Security Council

Permanent Representative of the United States of America

To the United Nations

12 April 2012

United Nations, April 12, 2012 (SPS) -The Polisario Front has called on the UN Security Council to direct Morocco to cooperate fully with MINURSO by allowing “unhindered and immediate access for the United Nations and associated personnel in carrying out their mandate”.

Shaheed El Hafed, April 12, 2012 (SPS) - Minister of Culture, Khadija Hamdi has received today delegation from the Spanish city of Navarra comprising of singers and journalists.

During the meeting, Minister Khadija Hamdi thanked the Spanish singers, underlining the music play a significant rule to transmit the Saharawi people’ voice and to break the siege imposed by the Moroccan occupation.

Bir Lehlu (Liberated Territories), April 12, 2012 (SPS) - The President of the Republic and Secretary General of the Polisario Front, Mr. Mohamed Abdelaziz, has sent on Thursday a message of condolences to his Algerian counterpart, Mr. Abdelaziz Bouteflika, on death of Algeria first president, Ahmed Ben Bella.

“It is with deep sorrow and grief that we have learnt of the death of Algeria’s first president and the great mujahid, Ahmed Ben Bella”, wrote President Mohamed Abdelaziz to the Algerian president.

Brussels, April 11, 2012 (SPS) - The Secretary General of the International Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), George Mavrikos, said on Tuesday that his organization supports the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination "as other peoples of the world”.

Brasilia, April 11, 2012 (SPS) - delegation of the Saharwi Women Union taking part at XV Congress of the Women International Democratic Federation WIDF, held meetings on Tuesday in Brasilia with Brazilian parliamentarians and politicians to shed the light on the on the deteriorating situation of human rights in occupied Western Sahara.

 Guelmim( South of Morocco), April 11, 2012 (SPS) - The Moroccan security forces have abducted Saharawi young girl in Guelmim, South of Morocco, according to Saharawi human rights source.

 “The abduction of Yussra lauissi (10 years) took place on Monday at the center of the city while she was accompanying her aunt to a police station”, said the source, adding Sahrawi young girl chanted “long live the Polisario Front” at the Police station.

According to the source, the Moroccan security forces have asked Yussra’s aunt to leave the police station.

Brasilia, April 09, 2012 (SPS) - A delegation representing the Saharawi Women Union is taking part at XV Congress of the Women International Democratic Federation WIDF, held from 8th to 12th April 2012, in Brasilia.

The delegation chaired by Secretary General of Saharawi Women Union, Fatma Mehdi, held several meetings with participating delegations from Brazil, Angola, Chile, Ghana, and India as well as Arab delegations. (SPS)
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Bir Lehlou (Liberated Territories), 08 April, 2012 (SPS) - President of Republic and Secretary General of Polisario Front, Mr. Mohamed Abdelaziz, sent on Thursday a congratulatory message to members and leadership of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), CPI (M), as well as the fraternal Indian people on occasion of holding the 20th CPI (M) Congress taking place from the 4th to 9th April 2012 in Kozhikode (Kerala, India).