L’échéance d’avril est un cauchemar pour le Makhzen. Lorsque cette date approche, les soldats de Mohammed VI déclarent alerte rouge en vue d’amortire les effets de la prochaine résolution du Conseil de Sécurité des Nations Unies sur le Sahara Occidental.
Ici, le ministre des affaires étrangères a demandé l’aide d’un certain Hassan Abassi. Dans un mail, ce dernier propose un plan de travail. Voici son texte intégral :
Salam si Saad,
Veuillez trouver ci joint le document (en Anglais) qui contient 1) les arguments qui peuvent être utiles pour défendre la position Marocaine, et un plan d’actions que j’ai préparé avec une collègue (active dans le monde de la société civile) pour mener une campagne de relation publique de la jusqu’au jour du vote de la résolution- 30 Avril 2013.
Je suis disponible à travailler autant d’heures qu’il faut pour réussir cette campagne de relation publique et je suis confiant de pouvoir y arriver si je reçois le soutien moral et matériel dont j’ai besoin – vous m’avez déjà vu en action pendant votre dernière campagne électorale et je suis disponible à montrer le même engagement et la même détermination que la dernière fois.
La décision cependant doit être prise rapidement afin que je puisse mettre en place tous les outils et la structure nécessaire pour une telle opération – l’idéal serait d’être opérationnel avant le 22 Avril, date de l’émission du rapport de l’envoyé spéciale sur le Sahara.
Aussi, je pense qu’il est nécessaire de “passer une fuite d’info” concernant le sujet de Kerry, comme suivi:
“D’après une source bien informée au sein du MAEC, la proposition de Mr Kerry n’est pas une position formelle des états unies. Il s’agit tout juste d’une proposition que Mr Kerry a avancé dans une réunion des amis du peuple Sahrawi faite de P3 (US, France, Royaume Uni) et l’Espagne et la Russie qui prépare la rédaction de la résolution prononcée par le Secrétaire Générale. Kerry Kennedy a pris cette information et l’a formulé dans un article et l’a publié dans son compte twitter, no médias ont repris ses propos comme si c’était une suggestion officielle, d’ou la réaction que nous voyons à présent. Il ne faut surtout pas prendre une telle proposition comme une position officielle des états unies.”
Il reste de mon avis qu’une telle info reste nécessaire à diffuser afin de diminuer l’excès de zel de quelques médias qui commencent à diaboliser les etats unies; et quelques leaders politiques (Chabat est parti encore une fois à parler de Tindouf et Bechar comme entités marocaines), surtout si nous gardons en tête que tout cela sera lu et envoyé par l’ambassade américain ici a rabat au State Departement des Etats unies.
J’attends votre réponse a ces deux suggestions si Saad. Bon courage et Allah ynassrak a sidi.
Cordialement,
Hassan.
Texte en anglais proposé par Hassan Abassi
THE MAIN ARGUMENTS AGAINST KERRY’ S SUGGESTIONS:
Mr. Kerry’s suggestion to expand the role of the MINURSO to include human rights monitoring in the Moroccan southern provinces and the Algerian controlled Sahrawi camps should be perceived as a hasty decision and a clear infringement of Moroccan sovereignty over its territories. This suggestion is, in diplomatic terms, “hasty and ill informed”.
This move was strongly criticized across the Moroccan political spectrum, not least because Morocco has shown a genuine and serious commitment in dealing with this issue, over ALL the parts of its territory, by establishing a solid human rights body (CNDH) that works in closer consultation with several international human rights bodies, such as the Human Rights Council and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human rights, in order to improve its human rights records.
Morocco’s claim is further legitimized because of the lack of impartiality in this matter, since The MINURSO has been reporting on the human rights situation on the Moroccan southern provinces without assessing properly the lack of freedom of movement in those camps, where creation of associations is forbidden (written in the constitution of the pseudo RASD) and where oppression of all kinds of dissidence is flagrant – Abdelaziz is probably the last person to get elected four times with a last election result win of 96% of the votes.
The main flaw however in Mr Kerry’s suggestion remains in trying to request it to be done for both sides, as if both are equal in terms of state structure and state recognition. It should be clearly spelled out that Morocco is a sovereign state, and has signed to all Human Rights conventions and adheres fully to the UN human rights charter, contrary to that pseudo state that has no legitimate existence. Furthermore, Morocco has regained that territory peacefully and in the last 37 years no armed rebellion took place in that area, the reason being is that 1) citizens of those provinces acknowledge Morocco’s right to that territory, and 2) (undoubtedly) the absence of systematic oppressive means of ruling in those regions didn’t urge the Sahrawi people to resort to violence.
The Moroccan government reiterates at every possible occasion its commitment to reach a mutually agreed and a just solution for this conflict, but it will spare no efforts in defending its sovereignty, national unity and territorial integration.
The US should be better informed about human rights abuses in Tindouf. The United Nations envoy to the Western Sahara should have an equal courage to expose to the international community the harsh economic conditions and the imposed civil liberties restrictions faced while living in those camps.
The UN under its High Commission for Refugees (HCR) ought to dispatch an independent party, for a census and identification process (The only “refugee” camp in the world not to have gone through this process) and to collect, investigate and report on instances of human rights abuses in the refugee Camps.
Steps and actions to be taken by the Moroccan diplomacy, civil society and political parties
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The Moroccan public opinion needs to be sensitized about the this issue and the Moroccan diplomacy should make the international community aware that the proposition of expanding the MINURSO monitoring on human rights in the Moroccan southern provinces is futile and unnecessary.
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Civil society and the political parties have to raise a ONE million petition letter to the UN secretary General and lead a large media and social media campaign to denounce the hasty US proposition to expand the role of the MINURSO to include human rights monitoring in the Moroccan Southern provinces
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Civil society and political parties have to raise a ONE million petition letter to the UN secretary General and lead a large media and social media campaign to denounce the state and request the freedom of our Moroccan sequestered brothers and sisters in the camps of Tindouf – The camps of shame.
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A ONE million March needs to be organized in Rabat, and around the UN Headquarters in New York on the day and the hours the resolution is being discussed to give momentum to our Moroccan delegation at the UN.
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Opening of channels of communication with International media outlets between the period of the submission of the UN envoy on the 22nd of April until the passing of the resolution. A common and well prepared documentation of arguments need to be provided in the English, French, Spanish and Arabic languages to controlled speakers who will be allowed to appear on those programs.
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Request the Moroccan Diaspora to lobby and demonstrate in a peaceful manner (Americans are indeed our allies) its discontent with the American hasty decision and raise awareness on the fair and just claim of Morocco’s right to defend the total integrity of its territories, and the disastrous situation endured by the people living in those camps. The tempo should be intensified from the period of the release of the UN envoy report till the passing of the resolution.