Sahrawi notables received in French national assembly

A delegation of Sahrawi notables representing Sahrawi populations handed on Wednesday to Members of the French National Assembly (lower chamber) a memorandum expressing refusal of the latest UN proposal for the Sahara issue.

The memorandum warns the international public opinion of the consequences of implementing the Baker plan mainly as regards the four-year transition period that might create tensions amongst tribes and jeopardize the security and stability of Sahrawi populations.

The Sahrawi delegation, led by Brahim Hakim, former foreign minister of the Polisario secessionist group and comprising some former members of the Polisario, told French MPs the Sahrawi population cannot accept any solution that does not cater for Morocco's full sovereignty over its southern territories.

As legitimate representatives of the overwhelming majority of Sahrawis, the delegation expressed resolve to face anyone who would defy the Moroccan identity of the Sahara.

Baker's plan poses serious problems, for it tends to impose the will of a minority over the crushing majority of Sahrawi populations, Hakim told MAP.

The representatives of Sahrawi populations held Algeria responsible for the outbreak and protraction of the artificial conflict over the Sahara and for foiling all attempts to reach a political solution to the conflict to achieve its expansionist aims.

The memorandum, which was presented to the media and French authorities, will later be submitted to the UN security council.

The delegation which left Paris on Wednesday afternoon will go on a similar mission to London and Berlin.