Southern violence events condemned by Moroccan officials and media
Morocco, Politics, 6/3/2005

Moroccan State Secretary in charge of Youth, Mohamed El Gahs criticized the violence acts that took place lately in some Southern Moroccan towns, calling on all Moroccans to line up to defend by all means the territorial integrity of the Kingdom.

Last week in Laayoune, the police intervened to re-establish order following provocative acts of a group of individuals, who started throwing stones at the police during the transfer of a common law prisoner.

El Gahs told the 2M "Likoulli Annas" talk-show the "mercenaries took advantage of the democracy and free expression climate prevailing in Morocco" to blackmail the country.

He said the mercenaries and their backers ought to know that Morocco will not accept that its sovereignty and territorial integrity be subject to blackmail.

The State Secretary also called on Moroccans to work in unison to thwart "the manoeuvres of drug traffickers who want to harm the unity of the Kingdom by taking advantage of some weak souls to carry out intimidation act." "The terrorist and separatist movement based in the camps of Tindouf (South-West Algeria) and which represents the last and worst example of the Stalin ideology, is trying (by instigating violence) to remedy to its weakness and agony," El Gahs said.

The separatist "Polisario" movement has been claiming the separation of the Southern provinces, known as the Sahara, from Morocco since 1975 when the Northern African country retrieved its provinces from Spanish rule under the Madrid accords.

El Gahs said he was confident Morocco will not be affected by the ill advised thinking of the mercenaries who are behind the violence, stressing that flag burning Ç cannot be tolerated, for it is a base crime È.

For its part, the political bureau of the Party for Progress and socialism (PPS) strongly condemned the Laayoune incidents, the perpetrators and their backers.

In a communique, ran by "Al Bayane" daily, The PPS stressed the need for the political forces of the country to be involved in the management of the Sahara issue to thwart the idea of "separatism."

The PPS condemns "vehemently" the acts hurting "the country's sacred institutions: the Royal institution, the national flag and territorial integrity."

Seen in the light of the recent positions of Algeria hostile to the Moroccan territorial integrity, the PPS said the events Ç clearly show the involvement of Algerian leaders in these events which were stirred by children and women discretely manipulated by elements working for the Algerian regime and under the cover of separatism and self-rule."

Previous Stories:
  'Polisario' publicly threatens to resort to terror against Morocco   (5/30/2005)
  Sahrawis meet Moroccan premier and media to advance national cause   (5/28/2005)
  Reconciliation commission 'courageous and daring step' to step up democracy, French Senators   (4/28/2005)

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