Washington, May 20, 2011 (SPS) - The Representative of the Polisario Front in Washington, Mr. Mouloud Said, denied Thursday allegations attempting to implicate the Sahrawi people in the war in Libya and reduce the focus on Morocco's illegal occupation of the Western Sahara.
The Polisario front Representative contested in a response, entitled “keep the focus on Morocco's illegal occupation of the Western Sahara” published in The Hill newspaper, Edward Gabriel’s allegations in a recent blog entry in the newspaper "Mercenaries in Libya: Gadhafi's Hired Terrorists," that the indigenous Saharawi people, of the Western Sahara, are fighting for Moammar Gadhafi and somehow linked to al Qaeda, describing his “tired allegations” as far from truth.
Mr. Mouloud Said recalled that Daniel Benjamin, the State Department’s Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism, has made clear, the Saharawi have no ties whatsoever to al Qaeda or terrorism. Gabriel’s claim that Saharawi are fighting for Gadhafi are equally baseless.
He pointed out that Morocco and its lobbyists are rather trying to divert attention from Morocco’s illegal occupation of the Western Sahara and its gross abuses of the rights of the Saharawi people.
On the other hand, the Sahrawi diplomat expressed the profound hope of the Saharawi people that the conflict in Libya is resolved soon so that the suffering of its people will end, and the country will have the opportunity to pursue political, social, and economic progress, from which our whole region will benefit. (SPS)
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