Morocco: UN chief says Mideast unrest may point a way forward on dispute over Western Sahara's future Protests in the Middle East and North Africa have shown that it will be important to explore the views of the people living in Western Sahara to help end the stalemate over the territory's future, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a report circulated Friday. Morocco, which controls the territory, has offered wide-ranging autonomy for the mineral-rich territory. The Polisario Front, a Sahrawi national liberation movement working for Western Sahara's independence, insists on the “inalienable right” of the people of the former Spanish colony to self-determination through a referendum on its future. The two parties have refused to budge in regular U.N.-sponsored talks. Meanwhile, the views of the population on the territory's future “are more central then ever to the search for a settlement that will be just and lasting,” Ban wrote in the report circulated to the U.N. Security Council. Algerian leader pledges sweeping reforms Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika late Friday announced sweeping reforms including changes to the constitution and electoral law, and initiatives that would enhance the role of political parties. Bouteflika said the reforms should be adopted before nationwide elections due in May next year. In a much awaited 20-minute speech, his first since the start of upheavals that have rocked authoritarian regimes in the Arab world since late last year, he pledged to see through the legislative and constitutional changes “to strengthen democracy”. Algeria's 1996 constitution was amended in 2009 to allow Bouteflika, who is 74, to seek a third term. Bouteflika said he would ask a new constitutional panel of members of recognised political parties and experts in constitutional law to come up with proposals that would be submitted to parliament or a referendum. A “thorough overhaul” of the electoral law will also allow Algerians to “use their right in the best democratic and transparent conditions”, he said. Tunisian protesters urge Saudi to extradite Ben Ali Hundreds of Tunisians rallied outside the Saudi embassy on Friday demanding the extradition of former president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and staging a mock trial that sentenced the former strongman to death. Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia after he was ousted by mass protests on Jan. 14 after 23 years in power. Several members of his family and some of his closest allies were detained shortly after he was forced out. Tunisia announced later that month it had asked Interpol to help arrest Ben Ali, his wife Leila Trabelsi and other members of the family who left the North African country during the uprising. About 30O people gathered at the Saudi embassy in Tunis for a peaceful protest after Friday prayers, several holding placards demanding that Riyadh hand over Ben Ali to face justice in his home country. Libya Rebels Build Parallel State Rebels here have drafted a constitution that calls for full equality regardless of gender, race or religion, part of their effort to convince the world they are committed to democracy and deserve international support. The document represents a milestone in the rebels' effort to move rapidly from a grass-roots uprising to a government with all the trappings of statehood. The progress in Benghazi contrasted with the rebel fighters' struggle to make gains in the military battle against Col. Moammar Gadhafi's forces. President Barack Obama, in an interview with the Associated Press, said the fight was at a stalemate, but that Col. Gadhafi was under growing pressure to quit. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization's civilian chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Friday echoed an op-ed statement by Mr. Obama and his French and British allies that NATO's mission would continue until Col. Gadhafi was gone. South Sudan looks to improve state media before independence A delegation from the South Sudan Presidents office visited Unity state yesterday to assess what improvements need to be made to the state Ministry of Information and Communication and the department of radio and television broadcasting ahead of South Sudan's independence on July 9. The southern government intends to standardize media facilitation across South Sudan ahead of secession. Assessment teams will be visiting the ten states of South Sudan. Martinson Otoromoi chief of staff from the office of the South Sudan President told Sudan Tribune on Friday that the visit Bentiu was to prepare South Sudan's media for independence. Otoromoi said that he hoped improvements would allow the government and President to be able to communicate better with citizens of the new state. Unity state has a strong radio broadcast presence, led by government owned radio stations, FM 99 and Medium Wave 558 KHZ, which broadcast across South Sudan and neighboring Uganda, Congo and Kenya. BM
