Letter Issn 0891-608X
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The Saharan Peoples Support COlluni ttee, USA volume IX, No.1 SPSCJune-September 1988 LETTER ISSN 0891-608X till/OAU PEACE EFFORTS CONTINUE reaffirming that the solution AS POLISARIO AND MOROCCO MEET of the questi on of Western Sahara lies in the implementa August 11 U.N. Secretary-Gen tion of AHG/Res 104 "which es eral Javier Perez de Cuellar tablishes ways and means for a presented the joint UN/OAU just and definitive politica l peace proposal designed t o end solution to the Western Sahara the long, bitter war in Western conflict," requesting the par Sahara to representatives of ties to the conflict, the the two parties to the con Kingdom of Morocco and the flict, the Kingdom of Morocco Frente Popular para la Libera and the Polisario Front for t he cion de Saguia el-Hamra y de Liberation of Saguia el-Harnra Rio de Oro to undertake direct and Rio de Oro. Separate meet negotiations with a view to ings were held with the par-:ies bringing about a cease-fire to wilh the Foreign Minister of create the necessary condi Mali, Modibo Keita, present as tions for a peaceful and fair special envoy of President referendum for self-determina Moussa Traore, current chairman tion of the people of Western of the Organization of African Sahara, a referendum without Unity. any administrative or military constraints under the auspices Perez de Cuellar described the of the Organization of African proposal as "a compromise which Unity and the United Nations, will no doubt promote a just and inviting the Chairman of and durable solution of the the OAU and the Secretary-Ge n Western Sahara question, under eral of the U. N. to exert ev conditions acceptable to the ery effort to persuade the two international community." The objective of the proposal is to bring about a cease-fire, ·'Atf.m tic followed by a referendum, de Ocean termination, in accordance with resolutions of the U.N. General Assembly. Those resolutions include 1514 (XV), 3292 (XXIX), 39/40 and 40/50 which include placing the Western Sahara on the list on non-self-governing territories with the right to self-determination, calling for an advisory opinion by the In NIGER ternational Court of Justice, parties to the conflict .... to tween independence for the negotiate, in the shortest territory or acceptance of possible time and in conform- Moroccan sovereignty, and use of the 1974 Spanish census to determine eligibility to vote. The Secretary-General of the U.N. had set September 1 as the proposed deadline for agreement by the two parties to the proposal. Discussions during the month of August ended with both parties agree ing to the conditions as out F. Po LiS A ~\ a lined in general in the pro posal. ity with resolution AHG/ Res 104 (XIX) and the present reso Representing the Polisario lution, the terms of a cease Front in the meetings in New fire and the modalities for or York on August 11 and after ganizing the said referendum. were Bachir Mustapha Sayed, head of the secretariat of the The Secretary-General of the Political Bureau of the Poli U.N. and his representatives sario Front, Mohamed Sidati, and the Chairman of the OAU Mouloud Said and Madjid Ab (then Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia) douallah. The Morocco dele met periodically with represen gation was headed by Minister tatives of the Kingdom of Mo of Foreign Affairs, Abdelatif rocco and the Polisario Front Filali. from November 1987 to August 1988. Consultation was also It has been reported that the made with Mauritanian and Al non-alignen nations will be gerian leaders because of the asked to endorse the peace proximity of those two nations plan at their meeting in to the conflict. Nicosia, Cyprus in September, and, later, to ask the U.N. According to reports, the Au General Assembly to approve a gust 1988 proposal does not resolu-tion backing the peace contain a timetable for the plan. It is expected that holding of the referendum, al press sure from European though some news reports have nations and the Arab states suggested the close of 1988 as will continue over the months a target date. Among items re to corne to ensure the success ported to have been included in of the peace pro-posal so that the proposal were peace negoti the suffering undergone by the ations between the two parties, Sahrawi and Moroccan peoples a substantial reduction and over the past thirteen years gradual withdrawal of Moroccan may come to an end and that troops from the territory, the stability in that region of sending of a 2,000 man U.N. northwest Africa might again peacekeeping force and adminis return. trative personnel to the region to oversee the referendum, a choice in the referendum be- PUBLICATIONS UPDATE ..... UPDATE of referenda for resolution of conflicts and uses the specific case of Western Sahara to illustrate these SAHRAWI ARAB DEMOCRATIC points. The article is truly REPUBLIC NEWS, SPECIAL NUMBER, interesting now given the Fifteen Years of the Polisario recent agreement of the Front, May 1988, SADR Embassy, Polisario Front and Morocco to E-16, East of Kailash, New the UN proposal for a Delhi, India, June 1988, 25 pp. referendum. This document published by the "AROUND THE CONTINENT, Polisario Front is valuable ALGERIA-MOROCCO, ACCORD because it highlights major REACHED ," AFRI CA NEWS, May 30, events in the struggle for 1988, p. 8. liberation of the Sahrawi "BITS AND PIECES, ON THE people from 1973 to 1988. It DOCKET," AFRICA NE\-lS, August is a catalog rather than an 8, 1988, p. 12. explanation, but the major events of the war for Both articles are brief but independence which includes the contents reflect the political activities as well as careful covering of the issue armed struggle activities, are of Western Sahara by AFRICA all here. Also included are a NEWS since 1976. number of photographs, the Manifesto of the Polisario THE UNITED STATES, MOROCCO AND Front and a general evaluation THE WESTERN SAHARA, John M. of activities. Zindar, Research Analyst, The Center for Defense Information "BUILDING A PEACEABLE KINGDOM for Testimony before the UN IN WARTIME," Stephen Zunes, Special Committee on the Situ FRIENDS JOURNAL, July 1988, ation wit~ regard to the im Volume 34, No.7, pp. 22-25. plementation of the declara tion on the granting of inde The article by Zunes, an pendence to colonial countries instructor in the Department of and peoples, August 9, 1988, Politics at Ithaca College, 17 pp. describes his visit in 1987 to the Western Sahara and to the The statement is interesting refugee camps of the Sahrawis. particularly in view of the The close of the article fact that it comes from an includes reference to an analyst with the Center for earlier article by Elise Defense Information, a non Boulding in Fellowship and profit, non-partisan, research suggests possible actions by organization, founded and the Friends. directed by retired officers of the U.S. military. Zindar "A PLEBISCITE IN THE WESTERN notes that he trained officers SAHARA?", Anthony Pazzanita, of the Moroccan Royal Armed ACAS BULLETIN, Summer 1988, No. Forces during 1983-85. The 24, pp. 27-30. writer calls for a reassess ment of U.S. policy toward The article by Pazzanita, an Morocco and the Western Sahara attorney, describes the process and urges that the U.S. use its leverage with Morocco and scheduled from 8:30-11:00 AM. other appropriate allies to The ASA Annual Meeting is at press for a negotiated settle the MCCormick Center Hotel in ment. The major contribution Chicago from October 28-31. of the statement are the tables showing Moroccan arms imports and military expenditures, REPORT OF THE EUROPEAN u.s. foreign military sales COMMITTEES FOR HELP TO THE agreements, military equipment SAHRAWI PEOPLE, JULY 1988 transfers to Morocco and other u.s. military assistance to European Parliament: Morocco. 1. Because of the actions of the Intergroup, two new re DISCUSSIONS OF WESTERN SAHARA porters have been named to al CONFLICT TO BE PART OF AFRICAN low the Parliament to review STUDIES ASSOCIATION ANNUAL MEET its position on the Western Sahara. On May 18, 1988, at Two panels sponsored by ACAS, Strasbourg, a day of informa the Association of Concerned tion, political contact, in African Scholars, will be held troduction and a Sahrawi cul at the annual meeting of the tural evening were held. A ASA in Chicago this fall. The delegation of European Com first of these, The Western-Sa mittees led by the President, hara War at Year Thirteen,Part Pierre Galand, was present in I: The International Framework, force. will have panelists, Teresa K. Smith, Yahya Zoubir and John National Intergroups Formed: Entelis. It is from 9 to 11 AM on Sunday, October 30. The 2. In the past several months second part of the panel will national Parliamentary inter concern Regional Impact and In groups have been established ternal Developments. Panelists for the following countries: include Smith and Anthony Paz Austria, Italy, Greece, Bel zanita. gium, Switzerland, Ireland, Sweden and West Germany. Also Two other panels will have being formed are intergroups panelists discussing aspects of for Great Britain, Spain, Hol the conflict in Western Sahara. land and France. On Monday , October 31, a panel entitled, Decolonization in Af Reception of Sahrawi Children rica, the Unfinished Agenda: Namibia, Western Sahara, Eri 3. Reception of Sahrawi chil tria, is scheduled from 11 AM dren in summer camps in Euro to 1 PM. Discussants include pean countries increased by Amare Tekle, George Shepherd 1/3 in 1988 over 1987.