will Morocco follow suit?

[brim]

The Polisario Front starts to destroy its
landmine stockpile

Press Release

The Polisario Front starts to destroy its landmine stockpile

Geneva/Tifariti, 1 March 2006 - On 27 February 2006, the Polisario
Front, in compliance with the Geneva Call Deed of Commitment, began the
destruction of its stockpile of anti-personnel mines. The event took place in
Tifariti, Western Sahara, during the celebrations marking the 30th anniversary
of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (as recognized by the African Union
and many States).

Polisario top officials attended the destruction ceremony, including
Mohamed Abdelaziz, Polisario Front's Secretary General and President of the
Republic, as well as the Minister of Defence, Mohamed Lamine Bouhali,
in charge of the operation. During the ceremony, the Minister of Defence
underlined that "this initiative reflects the choice of the Saharawi
people for a peaceful settlement of the conflict". He added that the Polisario
Front will complete the destruction of its remaining stockpile and
called on Morocco to reciprocate.

The Geneva Call President Elisabeth Reusse-Decrey congratulated the
Polisario Front for starting to destroy its stockpile only four months
after signing the Deed of Commitment. "This demonstrates the Polisario
attachment to international humanitarian law and, despite the current political
deadlock, its will to respect and implement quickly its commitment" she
said.

A number of foreign governments and international organisations
witnessed the event; among them representatives from MINURSO,
UNMAS, Landmine Monitor, the Saharawi Campaign to Ban Landmines,
Landmine Action UK and Geneva Call.
In total, more than one thousand people attended. The President of the
Association of Mine Survivors, a Polisario commander and the President
of the Saharawi Campaign to Ban Landmines also took the floor.

After the speeches, engineers from the Ministry of Defence proceeded to
destroy 3'321 anti-personnel mines. Prior to the operation, Geneva Call
and the Saharawi Campaign to Ban Landmines had facilitated a mission with
Norwegian People's Aid to assist the Polisario Front in the
preparations and to discuss the relevant international mine action standards.

Geneva Call and the Saharawi Campaign to Ban Landmines congratulate the
Polisario Front for having successfully conducted this first stockpile
destruction. Such an operation demonstrates the importance of engaging
non-State actors in the mine ban and the role that they can play
towards a
mine free world. It is hoped that Morocco will take shortly concrete
measures towards accession to the Ottawa Convention.

[Photos: Stockpile destruction]

[navy64a]

Keep bigging countries Algeria ur time finish

algeria is a failure state, state of terrrorism

viva RKD republique kibilien democratic capital tizi-ouzou... http://www.lrk.fr.st/