Populations in Tindouf only thinking about returning to Morocco, former polisario official
Morocco-Algeria, Politics, 10/14/2003

The only concern of the populations sequestered in Tindouf (southwestern Algeria) is to return to their homeland, Morocco, said Kaltoum El Khayate, former official of the Polisario secessionist group.

"The population sequestered in Tindouf camps who can no longer bear the conditions of detention, are increasingly aware of the separatists' unfounded thesis and think only of returning to Morocco," said El Khayate who returned lately to Morocco in response to the royal call "the homeland is clement and merciful" that urges the secessionist group advocates to regain their homeland without being subjected to sanction or questioning.

The former Polisario cadre underlined, in an interview published Monday by the Moroccan daily "Assabah," that Polisario's ongoing General Congress will certainly be a failure similar to the one held in 1988, as the group hold congresses every time they face political difficulties to enable leaders preserve their positions and privileges.

The "leadership of Polisario" lost credibility, she insisted, noting that since 1975 the separatists' leadership has not changed and has amassed wealth illegally by embezzling the aid of European associations and NGOs destined to the camps inhabitants.

Such practices, she deplored, were denounced several times by many NGOs, notably by "France Liberte" (French human rights association led by the spouse of late French president Francois Mitterand) which recently suspended all aid to the Polisario, accusing its leaders of serious human rights breaches against Moroccan prisoners of war and embezzlement of humanitarian aid.

The former Polisario leader said she hopes Algeria "will listen to reason because it will not serve its interests that the Maghreb Arab region remains a zone of tensions at a time when the people in the region aspire to the construction of the Arab Maghreb Union."

Previous Stories:
  Morocco calls for negotiated political settlement with Algeria of Sahara dispute   (10/13/2003)
  French president hails Morocco's 'bold and exemplary political transition'   (10/10/2003)
  King Mohammed pays tribute to French president as a 'committed' statesman   (10/10/2003)

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