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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.

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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

Spain seeks better Morocco ties after enclave spat

© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved. | Learn more about Reuters

By Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter

Six witnesses have now cast doubt on the alibi of Robert Murat, a suspect over the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, after a British barrister came forward to say he saw Mr Murat near the McCanns' holiday flat on the night she went missing. Madeleine McCann: Follow the investigation Mr Murat, 34, has always maintained that he spent the night of May 3, 2007 at home with his mother in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz, but all six witnesses directly contradict his version of events. Murat has denied any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance Madeleine's mother, Kate McCann, is said to believe that there are "questions that need to be answered" concerning Mr Murat's movements in the hours around Madeleine's disappearance. Mr Murat, a British expatriate, was the first person to be named as an "arguido" or official suspect in the case. He vehemently denies any involvement in the disappearance of Madeleine shortly before her fourth birthday. His mother Jenny, 71, has told Portuguese police that her son was with her all night. But it has emerged that the British barrister who gave a statement to officers told them he saw Mr Murat on a street corner opposite the McCanns' Ocean Club apartment 30 minutes after Madeleine was reported missing. The barrister shared a drink with Mr Murat the following evening, together with Jayne Jensen, a British holidaymaker. He described Mr Murat's behaviour as "odd", saying he went to change his clothes because it had been a long day, even though the barrister was sure Mr Murat had changed his clothes earlier. Mrs Jensen, a 54-year-old businesswoman, has told police she saw Mr Murat smoking a cigarette on the street corner at the time he was seen by the barrister. advertisement Charlotte Pennington, a nanny working at the Ocean Club resort, also claims to have seen Mr Murat in the hours after Madeleine vanished. The other three witnesses who say they saw him that night are all members of the McCanns' holiday group, who are understood to have told police that Mr Murat introduced himself to them on the night of May 3. According to Fiona Payne, Rachael Oldfield and Russell O'Brien, Mr Murat said: "I am Robert. Can I help in the search?" Mrs Jensen contacted police in Portugal within hours of Madeleine's disappearance, but it was not until six weeks ago that police officers from Leicestershire took a formal statement from her, which has now been passed on to Portuguese police. Last month, Jenny Murat said anyone who claimed to have seen her son on the night of May 3 was a liar. Mrs McCann and her husband Gerry, of Rothley, Leics, also remain official suspects in the case. They deny any involvement in their daughter's disappearance.

Information appearing on telegraph.co.uk is the copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited and must not be reproduced in any medium without licence. For the full copyright statement see Copyright

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/01/01/wmaddy101.xml

Monday, December 31, 2007

Four year old Madeleine was last seen at the family's holiday villa in May.

The couple are said to fear she's been forgotten, as posters of her are taken down in the resort of Praia da Luz.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/breaking-news/world/europe/article3295970.ece