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Shaheed Al Hafed (refugee camps), Jan 16, 2012 (SPS) - Elections of members of the Saharawi National Council has been decided to take place in the period between February 15-20, 2012 under auspices of a national committee chaired by Mr. Mhamed Khaddad, chargee of the National Committee of Referendum, and with membership of 103 individuals including members of the National Secretariat and government, high-level cadres in the State and representatives of the civil society, informed a communiqué issued Sunday by the Presidency.

Berlin, Jan 16, 2012 (SPS) - The Federal Government of Germany has confirmed that it continues to support the peaceful negotiating process initiated by the United Nations Organization on the future of Western Sahara, in a response to an interpellation submitted by the Members of the Bundestag a copy of it reached Sunday SPS.

Berlin, Jan 15, 2012 (SPS) - In a response to an interpellation submitted by the Members of the Bundestag, the Federal Government of Germany has confirmed that its position in regard to Western Sahara natural resources is compatible with the view expressed in a letter from the Former Legal Counsel of the United Nations, Hans Corell, to the President of the UN Security Council, which requires the respect for natural resources of a non-self-governing territory.

Shaheed Al Hafed (refugee camps), Jan 15, 2012 (SPS) - The Saharawi Union of Jurists (UJS) condemned Saturday the “barbaric use of force” by the Moroccan occupation forces on Friday against peaceful protests in solidarity with Gdeim Izik’s Saharawi political prisoners in a number of cities across occupied Western Sahara, in a statement reached Sunday SPS.

Washington, Jan 15, 2012 (SPS) - The U.S. Secretary of State, Ms. Hillary Clinton, said Thursday that the United States continued to support efforts to find “a peaceful, sustainable and mutually agreed upon solution to the conflict of Western Sahara,” speaking at a press conference with the Algerian Foreign Minister, Mr. Mourad Medelci, on the sidelines of the ceremony of awarding the presidency of the G77 from Argentina to Algeria.

Smara (occupied territories), Jan 15, 2012 (SPS) - Peaceful protests demanding right of the Saharawi people to self-determination and release of the Saharawi political prisoners continues for the third consecutive day in Tan Tan’s quarter, occupied city of Smara, despite the repeated interventions of the Moroccan occupation forces, reported a source of the Ministry of Occupied Territories and Communities Abroad.

Madrid, Jan 15, 2012 (SPS) - The Spanish Association of Human Rights has called on the international community to exert the necessary pressure on Morocco to release the Saharawi political prisoners of Gdeim Izik, without restriction or condition, and not to resort to the postponement of their trail.

Beirut, Jan 15, 2012 (SPS) - UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Sunday called for an end to Israeli "occupation" in the Arab world, saying the illegal building of settlements worked against a two-state solution.

"The Israeli occupation of Arab and Palestinian territories must end. So must violence against civilians," Ban said in a keynote address at a conference in Beirut on democracy in the Arab world.

"Settlements, new and old, are illegal. They work against the emergence of a viable Palestinian state," said the UN secretary general.

Guatemala, Jan 15, 2012 (SPS) - A new government for 2012-2016 took office Saturday in Guatemala as Alvaro Colom hands over the ceremonial sash to be received later by Otto Perez Molina.

Some 5,000 people are expected to gather at the Domo Polideportivo (main stadium) in the capital, including representatives and guests of at least 98 countries and international organization accredited here.

Shaheed Al Hafed (refugee camps), Jan 15, 2012 (SPS) - The Frente Polisario held Saturday the United Nations Organization the responsibility of the flagrant violations of human rights committed by Morocco against the Saharawi citizens in the occupied territories of Western Sahara, following the bloody events that accompanied the military trail of Gdeim Izik political detainees, which was scheduled for Jan 13, 2012.

Cairo, Jan 14, 2012 (SPS) - Dr. Mohamed El-Baradei , a former head of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog body, decided not to run in Egypt's presidential elections.

Baradei confirms that his decision doesn’t mean escaping from arena, but he can effectively serve his Country without restrictions.

He mentioned that it seems as if the previous regime hadn’t been excluded, and As if the revolution had not yet launched.

Giglio (Italy), Jan 14, 2012 (SPS) - At least eight people were killed and more than 4,000 passengers and crew were rescued last night after a packed cruise liner began capsizing off the Italian coast after running aground.

Costa Concordia had left port at 7pm for a seven-day Mediterranean Cruise - but within two hours of leaving port, it ran aground in the sea with a major electrical fault while passengers were having dinner.

Coastguards were immediately dispatched to the scene near the island of Giglio, off the Tuscan coast.

Rabat, Jan 14, 2012 (SPS) - The Collective of the Saharawi Human Rights Defenders (CODESA) said that the postponement of the trail of Gdeim Izik detainees for indefinite date by Rabat military court “is not justified.”

Rabat, Jan 14, 2012 (SPS) - The military Justice in Rabat military Court has postponed the trail of 23 Saharawi political prisoners, arbitrarily arrested on the ground of Gdeim Izik camp, for an indefinite date, without being brought to the court scheduled for Friday Jan 13, 2012, according to a human rights source.

The sudden delay is the first of its kind, which came at least two days before the date set for the trial, the defense body has been informed about the delay without giving the reasons for the postponement and the date set for next trial.

El Aaiun (occupied territories), Jan 14, 2012 (SPS) - The Saharawi masses, who were observing Friday a peaceful sit-in in the occupied city of El Aaiun to drop the charges fabricated against Gdeim Izik political detainees, has subjected to violent interventions by the Moroccan forces of occupation, leaving dozens injured, informed a source of the Ministry of Occupied Territories and Communities Abroad.

These brutal interventions left at least Saharawis 40 injured, including 10 serious cases which was speedily transferred to hospital.

Madrid, Jan 14, 2012 (SPS) - Union, Progress and Democracy (Spanish acronym: UPyD) has called on the President of the Spanish new government, Mr. Mariano Rajoy, to take “a firm position on the settlement of Western Sahara conflict.”

In a communiqué issued Thursday, the Chief of the UPyD’s Foreign Policy, Mr. Fernando Maura, urged the president of the new Spanish government to take a firm position concerning the conflict of Western Sahara, during his forthcoming visit the Kingdom of Morocco.

Sarajevo, Jan 12, 2012 (SPS) - Conservative Vjekoslav Bevanda, of the Democratic Croatian Union Party, was appointed today Prime Minister of Bosnia-Herzegovina under a pact among the Muslim, Serb and Croatian communities.

Bevanda won 31 votes from the 42-member House, and a 30-day deadline to assemble a nine-member government. The main party leaders proposed him last December to end a 15-month crisis.

Tunis, Jan. 13, 2012 (SPS) - Algerian President Abdellaziz Bouteflika will visit Tunisia on the occasion of the celebration of the first anniversary of the Revolution of January 14th, according to a statement issued by the Presidency of the Republic in Tunis.

The statement emphasized "the importance of the relations between the two brotherly nations and their common will to entrench and boost them in all sectors of activity".

Shahid Elhafed, January 12, 2012(SPS) a solidarity sit-in with the Saharawi political prisoner of Gdaim Izik, who will be brought tomorrow before a Moroccan military court, organized Thursday at all Saharawi refugee camps, national institutions and SADR embassies and the Polisario representations around the world.

The Prime Minister, Abdelkader Taleb Omar, accompanied by members of his government participated with the Saharawi media this event at the headquarters of the Saharawi television

Managua, Jan 12, 2012 (SPS) - State Minister and the Special Envoy of President of the Republic , Mr. Bachir Mustapha Sayed, Tuesday, met with heads of state and political figures taking part at inauguration of Nicaraguan President, Mr. Daniel Ortega, according to source from SADR embassy in Nicaragua.

the Special Envoy met with Presidents of Suriname, Haiti, Iran, Venezuela, Honduras, Prince of Spain, Prime Minister of Belize, the vice-presidents of Nicaragua and Peru.