ARAB MAGHREB AFFAIRS - Jan. 8 - Polisario Still At War.

The Algeria-based Polisario Front's FM of the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), Mohamed Salem Ould Salek, says his movement remains in a state of war in the Western Sahara (dimming prospects for a solution to its 25-year territorial conflict with Morocco over the former Spanish colony. The warning follows the lifting of Polisario's threat to resume all-out war in retaliation for the Paris-Dakar motor rally crossing the disputed territory at the weekend). Ould Salek adds: "The Polisario Front's decision to suspend the resumption of military activity has no time limit. This in no way means we could not resume military action on Jan. 10 or 15... We consider ourselves in a state of war". (The apparent hardening of the Polisario line is aimed at international public opinion and the movement is unlikely to resume the bloody guerrilla war which raged between 1976 and 1991 in the sparsely populated territory. Algeria would not allow tension to flare up again along its closed land border with Morocco). Ould Salek says Polisario no longer felt tied to a UN-brokered ceasefire in affect since 1991 "since Morocco does not want a referendum". (The UN has been trying for nine years to hold a referendum to decide whether the Western Sahara, which became independent from Spain in 1975 and was then annexed by Rabat, should be independent or part of Morocco. Moves to hold the ballot have been frustrated repeatedly by disputes over who is eligible to vote, with the UN recently showing signs of frustration towards Morocco. The Polisario accuses Morocco of trying to pack the voter list by sending at least 65,000 people to register who are not indigenous Sahrawis. Nearly 140,000 people have appealed rulings to see if they are eligible to vote).