RFK Center Kerry kennedy Champions Western Sahara Separatists Position

NEWS

08/28/12

Washington / Morocco News Board--- Several Moroccan ONGs, that regularly criticize the government on various issues, have been surprised by the overt bias of the visiting Robert Kennedy center for Justice & Human Rights in favor of Western Sahara Separatists operating in the city of Laayoune. The ONGs claim that the RFK Center delegation has held meetings that excluded  other components of civil society and representatives of the local population that don't agree with their point of view.

Members of the Robert Kennedy center arrived Friday in Laayoune with plans to visit the Tindouf camps located in Algeria's South West, to inquire about the human rights situation.

Moroccan ONG ,The Independent Commission for the Defense of Human Rights in the Sahara (CIDDHS), has decided to boycott the meetings of the RFK center delegation, led by Kerry Kennedy and Mary Lawlaor, due to “the blatant bias of some members of the Foundation, who chose to side with The Western sahara Separatist side and adopt a one sided vision of the situation on the ground” ...
"the RFK Center is a (Kennedy) family-run organization, which is partly funded by Algeria, is invested in a mission to back up the Western Sahara Separatists Polisario group, through the development of a biasedl report on human rights situation in the Sahara and in the [Separatistst controled] Tindouf camps.”

The ONG added that it has  “deep concerns” about the course of the visit to Laayoune by members of  Robert Kennedy center for Justice & Human Rights, “which follow a predetermined and biased agenda that contradicts the principles of democracy and human rights, thereby depriving its report from any credibility.”

It is unclear on what basis Kerry Kennedy and the RFK center claim to be "independent" observers in this Issue. Kerry Kennedy personally presented Western Sahara Separatist, Aminatou Haidar, with a prize in 2008, following a fiery speech in which she treated Morocco as a Nazi-like occupying power. She described morocco as if it was the apartheid regime in South Africa or the Pol Pot Regime in Cambodia. Her introduction was very biased against Morocco and she promised to help Aminatou Haidar, the Western sahara Separatist, in the future to reach her objectives...

Furthermore, The robert Kennedy Center has refused to clarify various reports that the Government of  Algeria, The backer of Western Sahara Separatists,  is making substantial contribution to the center through third parties.

The Questions swirling about the objectivity of the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial center for Justice & Human Rights and the source of its funding were natural in light, among other things, of  the cosy relationship with  Western Sahara Polisario representatives in the US who are acting as gate keeper at various RFK center's western sahara events, thus sidelining the large Moroccan American community in the US.
Such ease of access and the level of coziness with a representative of a separatist organization, the Polisario front, funded by the government of Algeria,  that threatens war on an ally of the United States, Morocco, and encourages and funds young people to participate in violent demonstrations in southern Morocco and then exploits the ensuing violence for its own propaganda purposes, bring forth a host of questions and interrogations about the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial center for Justice & Human Rights credibility.

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Comments (8)  

 

-4 #1 Algeria is not the one to be blamed here — Morcelli 2012-08-28 16:35

I am usually the first one who put Algeria on the hot burner, but in this one, I do not agree. If there is someone to blame here is M6 for letting this woman in the Moroccan Sahara. The foreign affairs of the country is his thing, he knew that Kerry Kennedy is in the business to side with anyone who the world think is innocent. If anything M6 should learn from Algeria. The Algerian never allowed a census to take place in the camps, they know an actual number will not help them, the number of refugees is about 70-80 thousands, Algeria in saying 400,000. If the world know the real number which is about 70, they will never side with the Polisario especially that there is an autonomy plan on the table, if they believe that the population of the refugees is 400 k, they will obviously side with the polisario, besides, the bigger the number Algeria throws, the more $$$$ it gets from donors for its generals.

After the Leila fiasco, this is the second time that our dear king messed up. This is common sens, never allow your enemy the first punch, because S/he will knock you down. Kenny Kennedy is probably jumping up and down from joy and the imbecility of Moroccan leaders.
The Algerian media cannot believe that M6 a son of Hassan II ( le renard) made such a big mistake and provide them with something good to go after Morocco when they had nothing to say for ages, first they talked about the Korean calling M6 and sticking with Ross and now about the "poor" polisario getting a visit from Kerry.

Is this some sort of coup that M6 is trying to throw out there to show the dumbness of the PJD? It sure sounds and looks like one. because it simply does not make sense to give carte blanche to this woman who is one of the biggest enemies of Morocco.
Please don't blame Algeria here, if anything, Morocco should learn that Algeria is there and will never give them a break.

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-6 #2 student — Ed Talby 2012-08-28 19:46

Not all the Kennedys are brilliant. Kerry's father, the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy, must be turning in his grave knowing that his name & reputation are being tarnished by his own daughter who's lending his organization's support to a group affiliated with Al-Qaeda. It's a Slap in the face of the 3,000 American families who lost a relative, a friend, a neighbor on September 11, 2001

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-5 #3 student — Ed Talby 2012-08-28 21:31

Why Morocco Slept : when Hassan II run the show with an iron fist in Morocco, the Moroccan people could at least blame him for everything that went wrong. As for Mohamed 6, he can be a total failure, but the blame goes to the ceremonial Benkirane for the royal shortcomings. Between Ban Ki-moon, the U.N. chief, refusing to replace Christopher Ross, the UN envoy to the Western Sahara, and Robert Kennedy's Human Rights Foundation supporting & defending the Polisario group, Morocco is about to lose its Sahara due to the fact that people who run its foreign policy and those in charge of representing Morocco abroad have no stake in what they are doing, such is the case with Nicolas Sarkozy at the head of Morocco's foreign policy, and Eric Gerets as the chief of the Moroccan Federation of Sports. Speaking of Sports, they actually did relatively great during the reign of Hassan II.......The irony of democracy in Morocco is that the King is a politician in total control, but cannot be criticized, let alone vetoed. The new democratic system in Morocco is ambiguous & ambivalent. The Moroccan people ought to be able to petition their King in a respectful, democratic way to voice their concerns and frustrations, not be given a political run-around, which is hurting Morocco in the eyes of the world. Do I have to remind everybody about Canada refusing to issue visas to 10 Moroccan Beach Soccer players ? .......Abdelila h Benkirane knows that he's a lame duck, but credit must be given where it's due, he really tells the whole truth.

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-2 #4 Are all americans who understand WS bad??? — justin 2012-08-29 10:45

I dont know if you guys live here in the US or not but from a PR point of view you make people understand that morocco is the wrong side in this issue. All your argument are pure propaganda and it seems that the comments are done by the same people who write the "articles".
Do you really think that people are stupid enough to believe all that propaganda...Ba ker was in favor of separatists, Ross is in favor of separatists..K. Kennedy is in championing the separatists.... ..Probably if so many great american are in favor of that idea is because it is JUST!!! Americans always help the underdog and I am starting to see things by reading your propaganda against well-credited US organizations and individuals. Probably you are the ones who are championing YOUR OWN CORRUPT SYSTEM!!

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0 #5 RE: RFK Center Kerry kennedy Champions Western Sahara Separatists Position — Morcelli 2012-08-29 12:55

Mr Justin,
There is nothing more dangerous to this world than a dumb American Bush/Rumsfeld/C heney as an example causing a 100,000 plus dead Iraqis and telling us in CNN and Fox news that Iraq is better off today.

I think you are of them, America looks for what's good for America not for what is JUST as you we were led to believe from watching fox news.
One word for you buddy: Syria. what is the US doing to prevent the masacre? Oh, I see . Israel askes its puppet the US not get in involved. Let's face it, the US is the puppet.

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-1 #6 The king and accountability. .,, — Haqq 2012-08-29 20:21

The Moroccan failure to deal with Algeria and the Polisario falls clearly on the King. There were several opportunities that the King has missed in taking the Polisario to task. If you look at every country in the world that faced separatists the "war on terror" was used as a political opportunity to set the record straight on where each nation and groups stands. As an Allie of the US for the past two hundred plus years Morocco could have used it's influence to settle this issue during the Bush years but has let the Polisario and the Algerians control the discourse. My final thought: Neither Benkirane nor the Algerians should be blamed for this. The same group of people that ha screwed Morocco in the past few decades screwed this up as well. Including the infallible "sidna."

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+1 #7 Salama Mohamed — Chomsky is also biased in favor of the Polisario!!!??? 2012-08-31 10:05

I think you guys have fallen in overt bias in favor of the Makhzen’s propaganda.
As Mr Justin stated, do you think that US famous scientist and activists Noam Chomsky is also biased when he made clear that the Sahrawi protest camp of Gdeim Izik was the prelude of the Arab Spring, calling for enabling the Saharawis to freely decide their future.
everybody knows that Chomsky has shown tremendous courage and firm commitment to advocate the just causes worldwide including the Palestinian cause.
from your perspective, everyone seeks the truth is biased
Baker,Ross, Kennedy, Chomsky.....

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-1 #8 Go to rehab not South Morocco — Abed Jabri 2012-09-02 21:38

Kerry Kennedy is a sick and dangerous drug addict:
huffingtonpost.com/.../...

tmz.com/.../...

articles.nydailynews.com/2012-07-15/news/32687823_1_mary-richardson-kennedy-prescription-drug-john-kerry-kennedy

She should have been prevented from exiting the airport by the authorities. She was no doubt was as much under the influence of drugs when she awarded Mrs Haider her meaningless trophy, as when she hit that tractor-trailer and fled the scene of her crime (according to the police report). I mean all this literally--the woman takes drugs and jeopardizes people’s lives before escaping like a sociopath. She does this when she is not playing the moral compass. Why is such an exceptionally unscrupulous person allowed the privilege –and it is a privilege not a human right -- to enter Morocco. Since when does Morocco allow self-declared enemies of its territorial integrity full autonomy to operate within its borders with a busy schedule to undermine its most basic policies? Al-Qaeda operatives and this woman should be treated the same, they both are destructive to national welfare. The grounds to reject them are alike.
Why don’t these Western Sahara promoters even visit Tindouf, or more appropriately why doesn’t the government offer to allow them to cross the Berm into de facto Western Sahara. If they agree they will probably be kidnapped, and if they refuse the offer and would rather stay within the safety and order of Morocco, get them on camera when they admit this very telling admission. These hypocrites would not wish to spend one second in Polisario controlled territory, yet they seriously advocate for the Polisario to control more territory(?). You have to be on drugs to relate to them I guess.

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