40,000 Moroccans camp in Spanish Sahara

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33995, 8 November 1975, Page 17

40,000 Moroccans camp in Spanish Sahara

fIV.Z P.A.-Keuter— Copy right) TAH ( western Sahara), November 7.

The 40,000-strong \ anguard of King Hassan’s “peace march” into the western Sahara would risk a violent military confrontation if it tried to penetrate further in the Spanish-held territory today. I he march leaders spent the night encamped beside the road in view of a powerful Spanish military cordon stretched along a ridge in front of them.

On either side of them i "ere minefields, clearly marked with barbed wire and warning signs. There was no immediate indication whether the marchers would attempt to advance, possibly into a wall of Spanish shell-fire, or: whether they would stay where they were — about seven miles inside the dis- ; puted territory — in the! hope of a diplomatic settlement being reached. But Moroccan officials said that there was absolutely no question of retreat. They said that the frontier, had already been abolished for good. Led by P.M. Led by the Prime Minister (Mr Ahmed Osman) and sev-! eral Cabinet ministers and accompanied by half a dozen foreign delegations carrying their national flags, the vanguard of 40,000 unarmed civilians crossed the border: yesterday. The remainder of the 350,000 civilian volunteers

for the march to assert Mo-1 rocco’s claim to sovereignty] over the territory remained ! at the base camp of Tarfaya, 21 miles inside the Moroc-] can border. It was not clear! when they would cross over] to join the vanguard. Through the night, coni voys of lorries rumbled across the border carrying camping equipment, food, and water supplies to the i vanguard. Officials said that 1 1800 vehicles had been mobilised for logistics support. Reciting verses The procession across the I border yesterday was orderly. After reciting verses from the Koran and the i Moslem act of contrition, [ the marchers walked southwards with flags flying. Six abreast and holding hands, they chanted “Allah .ou akbah” (God is great) or "Saharra ouna” (the Sahara is ours). They met no-one as they : walked for about three hours along a paved road across a desolate landscape shimmering with salt flats.

Four Spanish Army heli-j. copters watched them from]l a distance and three small] Moroccan spotter planes circled in the rear. Marchers were led all the (way by their Prime Minister, who is the King’s brother-in-law, wearing sun-glasses, a Nomad’s turban and khaki denims. No confirmation They were accompanied by ambulances and supply vehicles. Meanwhile, there was still no official confirmation of a: persistent report that a ] h i g h-ranking Moroccan official left Morocco for Madrid yesterday. The report aroused specu-

| lation that, his Prime Minister and 40,000 subjects camped inside western Sa hara, the King might try to strike a bargain with Spain. Also on the diplomatic front. King Hassan answered an urgent appeal from the United Nations Security Council calling on him to stop the march immediately. In a brief message to the council chairman, Mr Jacob Malik, the King said: “We can only inform your excellency that the march is already effective since this morning.” He added: “The march will not deviate at any instant from the peaceful character that inspired it and which I will be maintained as it progresses/”