The Secretary of Social Movements and Relations with NGOs of the PSOE, Pedro Zerolo, has asked Aminatou Haidar to end her hunger strike because "the Sahrawi cause cannot be left without her." "I have asked her to end this situation when she deems it appropriate and that she will have the full support of the Government of Spain and the PSOE," he said.
Zerolo held a short interview with Haidar at the Lanzarote airport, accompanied by the island's Secretary of Organization of the PSOE, Isabel Martín, and the PSOE spokesperson in the Cabildo, Manuela Armas. Zerolo, who arrived on the island on behalf of the Federal Executive of the PSOE, conveyed to the Sahrawi leader the solidarity of his formation, which he also extended to the Sahrawi people.
"I have come to convey solidarity, concern for her health and our recognition and respect for her political position. I am impressed by the integrity that Haidar is demonstrating. She is a brave woman, full of reasons and reason, who is managing a struggle that is none other than the struggle of the Sahrawi people, with whom we socialists feel in solidarity," he said.
The "work" of the Government of Spain
Zerolo has conveyed to Haidar that the Government of Spain is doing "everything possible from the first moment" to find a solution so that she can return to El Aaiún. According to him, the central Executive, through the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, is trying to find a solution so that this objective of Aminatou Haidar is fulfilled "as soon as possible".
In this sense, he stressed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs "has been working, continues to work and will work until the last moment" and, for this, it has already made four proposals, which have not been accepted by Haidar for the moment. "It will have to be her who decides, because she is an autonomous, independent woman, who knows what she is doing, full of reasons, she will be the one who manages the end of this activist position, which has strengthened the position of the Sahrawi people," he said.
Criticism of Morocco
Zerolo has also criticized the attitude of Morocco, which, in his opinion, "is not helping or doing everything possible to reach a solution to this case." "The Moroccan government is violating not only the declaration of civil and political rights of the United Nations, but also the convention of consular relations and its own constitution," he said, while saying that this "does not contribute to giving a solution to this dramatic situation."
"With this attitude, what the Moroccan government achieves is that the Sahrawi cause has at this moment the greatest international support it has ever had. Aminatou has become the voice of a people," he evidenced.
"Strong in her convictions"
Zerolo also wanted to assess his conversation with Haidar and assured that he finds her with "strength, because she is convinced of what she is doing", although the problem is that she is "physically weak." "She is a woman tired from the days she has been on this hunger strike, but she is stronger than ever in her reason, in what has led her to bet on this path of activism," he said.
The socialist has pointed out that his party wants a solution "now to the conflict" that the Sahrawi people are experiencing. "35 years are too many years suffering and we need a fair and true solution that respects the right to free self-determination of this people," he said.
