Main focus of Friday, December 18, 2009

Haidar scores a victory against Morocco

After engaging in a hunger strike for over a month, human rights activist Aminatou Haidar returned to her home in Western Sahara on Thursday. The move marks a significant victory against Morocco, which controls the Western Sahara and had previously denied Haidar re-entry.

El País - Spain

Morocco's reputation has been tarnished, writes left-liberal daily El País on the return of Aminetou Haidar to Western Sahara: "Morocco has severely compromised its credibility regarding autonomy for Sahara. By treating Haidar the way it did, meting out brutal punishment which was out of all proportion to the activist's original actions and was imposed without a court order and in violation of human rights, the [Moroccan government] has made it blatantly obvious that it continues to repress the inhabitants of Western Sahara. And it has put the Sahara issue back on the international agenda, where it had been languishing after the failed attempts of some of the most committed international envoys, such as [former US foreign minister] James Baker."  (18/12/2009)

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La Repubblica - Italy

Despite the victory of activist Aminatou Haidar the residents of her home town Laâyoune are in no mood for celebration, the left-liberal daily La Repubblica writes: "Today around 100,000 Sahrawis live in life-threatening conditions in the refugee camps of Tindouf on Algerian soil. … The ceasefire between the independence fighters of [the military and political organisation in Western Sahara] Frente Polisario and the Moroccan military has lasted since 1991. The United Nations, which has not recognised the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, the independent state proclaimed by the Polisarios, has never gone beyond proposing a referendum. This referendum will probably never take place. Morocco is once again considering granting independence. This is the citizens' message: 'Aminatou, let us make peace. This land doesn't want another civil war. It doesn't want fratricidal war. Let Allah's will be done'."   (18/12/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Separatism, » Spain, » Morocco
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El Mundo - Spain

After the return of human rights activist Aminatou Haidar to Western Sahara the conservative daily El Mundo celebrates this diplomatic victory for the socialist Spanish head of government José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero: "Zapatero must be congratulated for the happy ending to a conflict that could have ended in tragedy. Given the deterioration in Haidar's health in the last few hours, with her being transferred to hospital after vomiting blood. The Spanish president was able to count on the support of the US and France, which without doubt helped to reach the agreement which enabled the Sahrawi's return." (18/12/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Social movements, » Separatism, » France, » Spain, » U.S., » Morocco

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