Saharan chiefs accuse Polisario front of obstructing committee works

The chiefs of Saharan tribes who are members of the Identity Determination Committee accused the Polisario Front of obstructing the committee's work. They said that the Polisario's observers are obstructing the works of the committee and attempting to list people who are not of Saharan origin.

They added that this process needs reevaluation and reconsideration to protect and continue the work according to the criteria agreed upon by Morocco and the Polisario Front in Houston under the auspices of mediator James Baker. Those criteria aimed to accelerate the process of referendum.

The chiefs of the Saharan tribes discussed with Moroccan Minister of Interior Idris Al Basry the works of the Identity Determination Committee which started at the beginning of this month.

Moroccan sources said that this process is very slow, thus the work will not be finished within the coming 6 months. However, the members of the UN mission in the Sahara were optimistic about meeting the deadline fixed in Houston to hold the referendum on December 7, 1998.

The criteria according to which the Identity Determination Committee should work are based on registering those who are of Sahara origin and who have been in the Sahara for no less than 6 consecutive years, or 12 years with intervals in between.

The Polisario Front said that there are more than 100,000 thousand refugees while the proposed lists include only 30,000.