UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — Morocco and the pro-independence Polisario Front resume UN-sponsored talks on the disputed Western Sahara in suburban New York Monday amid warnings that failure to clinch a deal could lead to renewed fighting.
UN spokeswoman Michele Montas confirmed Friday that a third round of closed-door discussions would be held in the New York suburb of Manhasset from Monday through Wednesday to try to resolve the 32-year dispute.
As in the two previous exploratory rounds held last year at the same location, the secluded Greentree estate in Manhasset, UN envoy for Western Sahara Peter Van Walsum will serve as mediator.
The two rounds held in June and August failed to narrow wide differences between Rabat and the Polisario independence movement.
And diplomats say they do not anticipate any breakthrough this time around either.
Last month, the Algerian-backed Polisario warned it would resume its armed struggle against Morocco if negotiations fail.
"We hope that Morocco this time is going to cooperate for the full implementation" of UN resolutions on the issue and "will engage in substantive negotiations," Ahmed Bujari, the Polisario's UN representative, told AFP Friday.
He said the Moroccans must agree to discuss not just their proposal for broad autonomy for the Western Sahara but also the Polisario's call for a referendum that would include the option of independence for the former Spanish colony.
"Our people have been frustrated (in their aspiration for independence)," he said. We believe peace is possible... But a new failure of the (negotiation) process would have negative consequences for the entire (northwest African) region)."
"It could push us on the way to a resumption of hostilities and Morocco will be responsible," he added.
Last October, the UN Security Council voted unanimously to urge the two sides to resume stalled talks "without preconditions" to settle their 32-year dispute over the Western Sahara.
It passed a resolution calling on the parties to "engage in substantive negotiations ... without preconditions and in good faith ... with a view to achieving a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution."
Morocco annexed the phosphate-rich, mainly desert Western Sahara in the 1970s following the withdrawal of colonial power Spain, sparking a war with the Polisario guerrillas.
The two sides agreed a ceasefire in 1991, but a promised self-determination referendum never materialized and since 2002 Rabat has insisted that holding such a plebiscite is no longer realistic.
Updated: 2008-01-02 10:58
Marrakech opened on Fuxing Xi Lu over a year ago. It quickly became a favorite of ours. We loved their lunch specials, sitting in the backyard white tents, enjoying the mint tea (30rmb), fresh Moroccan breads, couscous and tagines. Unfortunately, a few months after opening, the kitchen started to slip, the portions got smaller and service was scattered. We stopped going.
Then, last month we noticed a lot of construction activity going on in the building.
Curious to see what was new, we returned this week to find they've expanded the restaurant to include a backyard balcony, a live music room, and the Spice Lounge.
We sampled a lot on the menu, and while we found the portions agreeable again, the food was hit-and-miss. Generally, the flavors just aren't as rich and complex as we've experienced at Moroccan eateries around the world. Still, we really enjoyed the chicken tagine (78rmb), moist and savory with tart green olives (and aided by a hearty scoop of harissa chili paste). The vegetable couscous (58rmb) was a good compliment to the BBQ lamb skewers (68rmb). The harissa soup (35rmb) makes a fine, smokey-spicy starter. And the fresh-baked bread, which comes complimentary with every meal, was still as excellent as we remember it.
The deep-fried appetizers weren't as good, lacking flavor. The maakhoda (45rmb), filled with mashed potatoes, eggs and parsley, were bland until generous sprinkles of cumin, pepper and salt. The briouates (45rmb) filled with chicken, vermicelli, olives and peanuts, were more interesting. Also, on the night we visited, none of the desserts on the menu were available. We left wanting couscous with spiced raisins and powdered sugar, a standard on many Moroccan menus.
Jan 6 2008 By Tom Warden
DETECTIVES probing the disappearance of Madeleine McCann say they have enough proof to charge her parents.
Portuguese police plan to travel to the UK to grill the couple and seven holiday pals they dined with when Maddie, four, went missing last May.
But it is claimed they already have the evidence for a case against Gerry and Kate McCann and expat suspect Robert Murat.
A police source said: "Most of the elements of proof have already been collected. We just want to reconfirm the statements made by the McCanns and their friends."
Yesterday a Portuguese newspaper claimed cops still hope to break an alleged "pact of silence" among the holiday group.
The McCanns have attacked Portuguese detectives for smearing them rather than hunting for Maddie's abductor.
The couple, both 39, were named as formal suspects last September.
Murat, 34, is claimed to have been seen near the McCanns' holiday flat the night Madeleine vanished.
from
http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/news/uk-and-international-news/2008/01/06/madeleine-cops-have-enough-to-charge-parents-78057-20275914/
KUWAIT (KUNA): Desert life is an integral part of the imagination of Abdullah Al-Mekhyal, a Kuwaiti movie maker who takes his camera and team from time to time to the desert in a bid to unravel some of its mysteries. Al-Mekhyal started his career as a gifted amateur director and scenarist of documentaries, driven by fascination with the desert and Bedouin life. His attraction to the desert life is clearly portrayed in “In Camel Heels, “ “Desert Call,” fruits of two years in Saudi Arabian desert, “Plain Shepherds,” filmed in Mongolia, and “Amazigh Desert,” shot in Morocco. “Morocco is distinguished with its unique texture of geography, culture and weather,” Al-Mekhyal said in an interview with KUNA. “It is a country of four seasons at one time. You may see winter in the north, spring in the west and autumn in the east while it is as hot as summer time in the south,” he says. “This led to biological diversity which flourished by the geographical diversity, with snow-covered hilltops, grassy plains and arid desert.
Diversity
“Again cultural diversity is one of the unique features of Morocco where Arab, African and Amazigh communities and cultures coexist harmoniously. “This mixture formed a colorful Bedouin life that continued to carry a lot of integrity and originality,” Al-Mekhyal went on to say. Desert, which accounts for more than 60 percent of the Arab region, is home to bedouine culture and values. It is a distinguished homeland for the bedouins, extending from the Arabian desert in the east to Morocca’s Amazigh Desert in the west. The Amazigh Desert portrays the Bedouin life in Eastern Plateau Region, East Morocco, and stretches to the Ouizazate Region in the south. “Most of southern Moroccan tribes are descendants of Arab origin and speak Arabic,” Al-Mekhyal pointed out. “Camels in south Morocco are characterized by their unique colors.
“The red and white spotted camels are not found anywhere other than Morocco, Algeria and Mauritania. “Local people in south Morocco believe this species of camels is blessed and try to keep as many of them as possible,” he noted. “Atlas Mountains extending from Tunisia in the east to west Morocco have the highest hilltop in the Arab world namely Mt Topkal which is 4,167 meters high. “Amazigh tribes are the original inhabitants of Atlas Mountains and Morocco in general, many Moroccan towns still have their Amazigh names. “Most of Amazigh people work as shepherds and raise cattle and camels due to the abundance of grassy land,” Al-Mekhyal added. Al-Mekhyal received awards from several festivals of documentaries.
http://www.arabtimesonline.com/kuwaitnews/pagesdetails.asp?nid=10099&ccid=9