Polisario's representative to the UN, Mohamed Boukhari, outlined the various steps in the identification process and the obstacles repeatedly thrown up by Morocco, then expressed his disappointment that the implementation schedule had been postponed once again, as a result of the large number of appeals submitted by Morocco. He stressed the importance of guaranteeing voter safety and freedom in order to ensure a free vote, and raised the issue of the recent wave of violence in the occupied territory. He reiterated the need for the UN to put into place mechanisms that will ensure people's safety before and after the referendum and that will guarantee the referendum results. 05.10.99 Statement Radio France International broadcast a statement by SADR President Mohamed Abdelaziz regarding the recent riots in El Ayoun. He stated that when a colonial power occupies a country, social demands cannot be divorced from political ones.
People use any and all means at their disposal to make themselves heard.
The demonstrators in El Ayoun hid neither their identities nor their differences. They clearly stated their support for independence. Their movement will continue. He hopes the new Moroccan authorities understand this. A team of U.S. experts has spent a week scouring parts of northern Mauritania for landmines, relics of the conflict over the disputed Western Sahara.