POLISARIO UK AND IRELAND

SPS
OCCUPIEDRRITORIES/FRANCE/Mrs. HAIDAR/VISIT
Mrs. Aminetou Haidar "very satisfied" about her visit to France
Paris, 20/10/2006 (SPS) The Saharawi human rights activist and ex-political prisoner, Mrs. Aminetou Haidar, declared, on Friday, she was "very satisfied" about her turn in France where she informed many political personalities and members of the civil society, as well as Medias, about the « worrying » situation of her country under the Moroccan colonial occupation.
Coming back from a visit to Paris, The Saharawi human rights defender has undertaken a turn to France, where she met with deputies, local officials, and associations, and also animated press conferences, as in the Havre and Limoges, the last stages of a turn she started since 4 October pursuant an invitation of Amnesty International.
In these two cities, where he was received by the Mayors as well as by the French Parliamentarian, Daniel Paul du Havre, she animated debates and pres cones in which she denounced "the repression that martyrizes the Saharawi people currently in resistance against the Moroccan occupation" to fight for its rights, which are internationally considered as legitimate.
She recalled that the Saharawi people actually count more than 500 victims of forced disappearance since 1975, the date of the Moroccan invasion of the Western Sahara.
She added that the Moroccan authorities "maintain in custody some 37 political prisoners, including 4 human rights defenders".
Before these two French cities, Mrs. Haidar visited the city of the Mans, following an invitation of the « La Sarthe Association of the Friends of the Saharawi Republic » on the occasion of the celebration of the Day of the Book of the city, The 25th hour". The city of Le Mans is twined with the Saharawi Daira of "Haouza" since 1982.
In Paris, where she was also received by Senator Robert Bret, Deputy-President of the Communist group in the French Senate, the Saharawi human rights activist also evoked the "Moroccan wall of shame", a 2.700 kilometres long military wall, filled with more than 3 millions antipersonnel landmines, and which "separates the Saharawi families, who are living because of this a psychological tragedy".
Mrs. Haidar called on the international community, because of the deterioration of the situation, «to create a mechanism of protection for the Saharawi people".
This visit to France comes within the framework of an international turn the Saharawi human rights activist has started to raise awareness of the political movements and the civil societies about the cause of her people. In this respect, she visited the USA, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Belgium and South Africa. (SPS)
010/090/700/TRD 201956 oct 06 SPS