Vienna, Feb 18, 2014 (SPS) - Coordinator of the International Campaign against Moroccan Wall in Western Sahara and Advisor to Saharawi Foreign Ministry Dr. Sidi Mohamed Omar has begun yesterday, Monday, a working visit to Austria, part of an awarness tour for the campaign within Austria.
Dr. Sidi Mohamed Omar, in this regard, met with Ms. Erika Pluhar, vice-president of Austrian Association of solidarity with the Saharawi people.
He was also received at the Austrian Parliament HQ by a group of parliamentarians from the Austrian Ruling Social Democratic Party, including Mr. Hannes Weninger, member of external relations and defence committee, Ms. Petra Bayr, and Mr. Otto Pendl, chairman of internal affairs’ committee.
The Saharawi official briefed his interlocutors about the political, legal, humanitarian, social, cultural, economic and environmental consequences caused by such wall on the lives of Saharawi citizens during the past decades.
He also spoke about the millions mines as well as the massive amounts of munitions and unexploded cluster bombs planted by Moroccan occupying forces in Western Sahara.
Hannes Weninger, member of Austrian Parliament’s external relations and defence committee, was shocked over the grave danger the Moroccan Wall poses on the lives of the Saharawis, voicing his party’s support to the campaign, as to the Saharawi people in general.
Ms. Petra Bayr, for her part, described as "shameful" Morocco’s military wall and its violation of human rights in Western Sahara.
Dr. Sidi Mohamed Omar is accompanied in his tour by Mr. Cheick Moulud, Polisario Front’s Representative in Austria, in addition to the Chairwoman of Austrian Association of solidarity with the Saharawi people.
It should be recalled that the 38th International Conference of Support for the Sahrawi People (known as; EUCOCO), held in Rome from 15 to 16 November 2013, launched an international campaign against the Moroccan wall in Western Sahara.
Held under the motto: “together to remove the wall”, this campaign aims to muster all possible support from policymakers and international public opinion to compel the occupying Moroccan State to comply with the rules of international humanitarian law and neutralise the wall and the entire arsenal of destruction that it contains, which includes antipersonnel and anti-tank landmines and unexploded ordnance. (SPS)
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