Moroccan prisoners of war held by 'Polisario' meet Washington Times Editorial Board
Morocco-USA, Politics, 5/18/2005

"The same rationale governing terrorist organizations must apply to the Polisario Front," wrote "The Washington Times" in its Tuesday issue, adding that "as long as it continues to hold human beings in bondage, it must be regarded as an enemy of civilization."

In an article titled "Will Somebody Notice Us?" in reference to the call of the 408 Moroccan POWs, imprisoned by the "Polisario Front" in the Tindouf camps (south-eastern Algeria), the paper stresses that "with many having been incarcerated for over two decades, they are currently the longest-serving POWs in the world."

Six Moroccan prisoners of war recently released, who met, on Monday, with the Washington Times Editorial Board "told their tragic tales of torture, mutilation and starvation at the hands of their captors, said the article, deploring that "all had been prisoners for more than 20 years."

Backed by neighbouring Algeria, the "Polisario" has been, since 1976, claiming the separation of the southern provinces of Morocco, known as the Sahara, from the rest of the country.

Recalling the agreement, in 1991, on the UN-brokered cease-fire under which the two parties "agree to release their thousands of POWs as required by the Geneva Conventions," the paper deplored that "instead, the Polisario Front has used Moroccan POWs as political leverage to elicit aid and funds from non-governmental organizations."

The Washington Times makes the echo of the testimonies of the recently released Moroccan POWs, "corroborated by Amnesty International, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Fondation France LibertŽs," according to which "conditions in the refugee camps are beyond horrid."

"The POWs had to sleep inside containers, or in trenches they had to dig" according to a 2003 report from France LibertŽs, says the daily, underlining that the report had "found cases in which POWs were burned alive, electrocuted, castrated and beaten to death."

The report gives the example of the detainee, Finidi Omar, who was captured at the age of 19 in 1987, refused to do forced labor, and who, as a punishment, "was locked in a 1 meter by 1 meter tin trunk from which he could only get out one hour a day," and "was eventually executed."

The US daily also recalls the international efforts to release the Moroccan POWs and the fourth resolution passed last month by the Security Council, and which urges the "Polisario" to "release without delay all remaining prisoners of war in compliance with international humanitarian law."

The State Department has also called for the prisoners' immediate release, and Sen. John McCain -- himself a Vietnam POW -- sent a letter in this regard to Polisario Front Secretary-General Mohamed Abdelaziz, said the paper.

Recently, the US NGO "The American Council for Moroccan Pows" has called US authorities to include the "Polisario" separatist group in the Terrorist Exclusion List (TEL), following the Algeria-backed movement's recent threats of terrorist attacks.

Previous Stories:
  US-based NGO calls for including Polisario in Terrorist Exclusion List   (5/17/2005)
  Morocco, a model for countries in the region, US official   (4/20/2005)
  King Mohammed VI receives US assistant secretary of state for Middle East   (4/19/2005)

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