Author Archives: appleton

President of African Parliament calls on EU to respect Sahara rights

Published: 04.12 – 2013
In a critical letter dated 1 December 2013, the president of the Pan-African Parliament calls on the European Parliament’s president, Mr. Martin Schulz, to vote against fisheries agreement with Morocco offshore the coast of the AU member state, Western Sahara.

Letter from president of the Pan-African Parliament>>

Mr. Mohamed Abdelaziz, President of Republic attends Nelson Mandela memorial service

Tue, 12/10/2013
Johannesburg, Dec 10, 2013 (SPS) – The President of the Republic, Secretary General of the Frente Polisario Mr. Mohamed Abdelaziz has attended along with more than 100 world leaders the official memorial service, took place today morning at FNB Stadium (Soccer City) in Johannesburg, of the deceased South African leader Nelson Mandela.Read more >>

AWSA Press Release: ACMI, Tuesday 3 December – Melbourne screening of Javier Bardem’s ‘Sons of the Clouds’

The Australia Western Sahara Association (AWSA), 28/11/2013

PRESS RELEASE: Sons of the Clouds: the Last Colony – a documentary

Produced and narrated by Javier Bardem, written and directed by Alvaro Longoria
Stars Javier Bardem, Elena Anaya, Carlos Bardem
Melbourne’s only screening will be held on Tuesday 3 December at 7 p.m. as a collaboration between the Australia Western Sahara Association (AWSA) and Filmoteca at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) Continue reading →

Will Obama remind Morocco of its referendum duty?

RUDDY: A long-needed resolution to Western Sahara’s limbo
Frank Ruddy. The Washington Times, 20 November 2013
20 November : Morocco’s King Mohammed VI arrives in Washington this Thursday, and since he has made clear his interest in deepening the U.S.-Moroccan relationship, he will likely be received by President Obama. He will emphasize issues on which the United States and Morocco agree, but he should also be prepared to deal with issues on which his country and policies are squarely at odds with American values and interests.

Read article >>

Polisario representative in Australia speaks to SBS Arabic program

Efforts to find a settlement in Western Sahara
4th November, 2013
By Saleh Saqqaf
Mr Kamal Fadel representative of Polisario in Australia , speaks to the Arabic program about the outcomes of UN Security Council discussion

Listen to interview >>

YouTube: Actor Javier Bardem talks about the post-colonial struggle no-one wants to talk about

Javier Bardem and the forgotten struggle of Western Sahara
Channel 4 News, Oct 7, 2013

Actor Javier Bardem is talking about the post-colonial struggle no-one wants to talk about – his new documentary ‘Sons of the Clouds’ shines a light on the 40 years of oppression for the people of the Western Sahara.

YouTube video interview >>

New repression episode in Western Sahara as UN special envoy visits territory

IC Magazine – Supporting the Indigenous Peoples Movement
By Nationalia • Oct 23, 2013

Moroccan security forces attack protesters who demanded an end to the occupation · Events coincide with a visit by Christopher Ross, who is preparing a new round of negotiations. (cont.)
Read more >>

AWSA Press Release: Impact Fertilisers halts phosphate imports into Australia from occupied Western Sahara

Australia Western Sahara Association
PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release – 21 October 2013
IMPACT FERTILISERS HALTS PHOSPHATE IMPORTS FROM OCCUPIED WESTERN SAHARA

The Australia Western Sahara Association welcomes the decision by Impact Fertilisers to halt importing phosphates from the occupied territories of Western Sahara.
Mr. Jim Mole, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Impact Fertilisers wrote on 21 October to AWSA stating “Impact Fertilisers has not sourced phosphate rock from Western Sahara for a considerable period of time now…Additionally, we have no current plans to source product from this region in future.”
Cate Lewis, AWSA Vice-President said: “This is excellent news, although it would be even better if the company would undertake not to import this controversial phosphate until the conflict in Western Sahara is settled.”
Continue reading →

A homeland for deserving Western Saharans: Promises made over 40 years must be honored

Promises made over 40 years must be honored
by David Keene, The Washington Times, Sunday 20 October
Last month, a Spanish forensics team called in to examine the remains of six adults and two children found in a mass grave in Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara raised anew charges that in seizing the area in the 1970s, the Moroccans had captured or arrested and killed hundreds of Western Saharan civilians. (cont….)

Full-text >>

Time for action in Western Sahara

Le Monde diplomatique, 21 October, by Tom Stevenson

In October United Nations envoy to Western Sahara, Christopher Ross, began a diplomatic push to finally blot out one of the darkest stains on the UN’s record.
The visit took in Rabat, Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara, and the territory controlled by the Polisario Front, which fought a 16-year war against the Moroccans. The goal was to break a decades-long deadlock and move toward finally solving the problem of the UN’s last “non self-governing territory” in Africa. (cont….)