Madam, - Being used to read regularly in The Irish Times valuable and balanced articles on different issues and topics, we were shocked by the content of Mary Raftery's column, "Plight of Sahrawis ignored" (Opinion, June 24th) which gives a false, imbalanced and confusing presentation of the Sahara issue.
For the sake of giving your readers a more objective picture of this complex regional dispute, I would like to highlight the following crucial points:
Concerning the number of the "refugees" parked in Tindouf, Algeria, this is strangely the first time a number as huge as 200,000 is cited. We don't know where Ms Raftery has gone to find out such a number, since Algeria and "Polisario" speak of an already contested much smaller number of only 155,000. This figure is regularly given by Algeria, as a host country, to the UNHCR and World Food Programme, for the purpose of estimating the humanitarian assistance to the camps.
Those living in the camps never fled their homes, but were taken against their will by the other parties to Tindouf, to be used lately as a political means to force some political gains such as recognition of their secessionist goals, regardless of international humanitarian law. The majority of Sahrawis identified by the United Nations are living peacefully in the Sahara as part and parcel of the Moroccan nation, and have participated in local as well as general elections since 1975.
Morocco has never invaded or occupied illegally the Sahara. Rather, Morocco recovered this part of its national territory through the same process of negotiations with Spain which led earlier, in 1958 and 1969, to the reintegration of Tarfaya and Sidi Ifni in Morocco. Furthermore, comparisons drawn by Ms Raftery are far from accurate, given the fundamental differences with the case of the Sahara dispute.
Morocco accepted Baker's 2001 framework agreement as a sound base for negotiating a political solution and is still committed to a consensual solution to the dispute on the basis of autonomy status, respectful of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Morocco.
In its resolution 1541 dated April 29th, 2004, the UN Security Council strongly supported the efforts of the secretary general and his personal envoy in order to achieve a mutually political solution to the dispute. It consequently called upon all the parties and states of the region to cooperate fully with the secretary general and his personal envoy to attain this goal.
As far as the humanitarian aspects are concerned, Morocco has always called for an early voluntary repatriation of the sequestrated families in Tindouf. Due to the delay in achieving a political solution, thousands of Sahrawis, including high officials from the "Polisario" leadership, have fled the camps to settle in their homeland.
The ongoing family visits programme, supervised by the UNHCR since March 2004 as part of a wider UN plan on confidence-building measures, is additional proof of the real willingness of the Sahrawis sequestrated in Tindouf to return home to their relatives in the Sahara.
The daily increasing number of participants from the camps (up to April, 12,000 registrations from Tindouf), and families requesting to prolong their stay in Morocco with their beloved ones is a fair indication of their impatience to be repatriated.
Besides, several international independent organisations, early this year, issued detailed reports denouncing the inhuman conditions the "Polisario" leaders are imposing on Moroccan detainees and on the sequestrated population.
The France-Liberté 2003 report is perhaps one of the most eloquent testimonies in this regard. Others are calling for the "Polisario" leaders to be tried for the brutality and repression perpetrated in the camps, where basic human rights are denied.
Finally, it is to be recalled that 412 Moroccan detainees are still in custody in Tindouf, some of them for more than 20 years, despite UN Security Council resolutions and international humanitarian rules.
To put an end to the suffering in the camps in Tindouf, Morocco is still committed to a political solution acceptable to all parties and hopes that the other parties will show the same political will in this regard. - Yours, etc.,
Madame MINA TOUNSI, Chargé d'Affaires, Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco, Dublin 4.