Spain to press Morocco over Western Sahara activist Spain's government Sunday vowed to press Rabat over the demands of Western Sahara activist Aminatou Haidar, who has been on hunger strike for almost a month to force Morocco to allow her to return home. “The government will not give up and will continue to press both diplomatically and politically for Mrs Haidar's return to her territory and her home,” said Manuel Chaves, a deputy prime minister. “We are asking the government of Morocco to assume its responsibilities because it is the government of Morocco which created this problem,” he told Spain's Cadena Ser radio. Haidar launched a hunger strike at an airport in Spain's Canary Islands on November 16 after Rabat denied her entry to her native Western Sahara, a disputed territory annexed by Morocco in 1975. Algeria gets migrants at sea Algeria's coast guard said Sunday it has intercepted a skiff carrying 11 would-be illegal immigrants hoping to reach Europe. Authorities were tipped off when some on board used mobile phones to call relatives to say they were in distress off the coast near the northwestern town of Mostaganem about 350 kilometers (220 miles) west of Algiers. The 11 Algerians were intercepted late Saturday about 2 nautical miles off the coast, the coast guard said in a statement, adding that another boat that left from the same area with 16 people on board was missing. Thousands of Africans risk their lives each year in attempts to reach Europe by sea, often in rickety boats. Many are looking for greater economic opportunity or more political freedom. Tunisia signs new EU agreement On the sidelines of the 8th Conference of Euro-Mediterranean trade ministers held in Brussels on Wednesday, Mr. Ridha Ben Mosbah, Minister of Trade and Handicrafts signed the dispute settlement mechanism between Tunisia and the European Union. The agreement will help step up the competitiveness of the Tunisian economy and boost investments by providing further guarantees to foreign investors and economic operators in Tunisia. Libya, Malaysia sign air agreement Malaysia and Libya plan to sign a new air services agreement (ASA), which will pave the way for expanded services on routes and create significant new opportunities between airlines in the two countries. The establishment of the ASA was initialed, during recent consultations in Tripoli, by a Malaysian delegation led by Datuk Seri Zakaria Bahari, Secretary General of the Ministry of Transport, and a Libyan delegation headed by Mohamed M. Shlebi, Director General of Libyan Civil Aviation Authority. The Malaysia's Ambassador to Libya, Mohd Zulkephli Mohd Noor took part in the consultation. North and South Sudan agree on referendum rules On Sunday, the north's National Congress Party and the south's Sudan People's Liberation Movement announced the deal in Khartoum, following months of rising tension. Party leaders say one law lays out the terms for the south's 2011 vote on independence. The others cover what is called a “consultation exercise” for people living in two north-south border regions, and a referendum on whether the oil-producing Abyei region will join the south. Officials say they will show the agreement to their parties before releasing further details. Kurds, police clash in Lebanon Police in Lebanon have clashed with Kurdish demonstrators protesting a decision by Turkey's top court to shut down a pro-Kurdish political party. At least four protesters were wounded. The clashes occurred Sunday after police tried to disperse supporters of the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, who gathered and tried to march to the Turkish Embassy to protest. A few were beaten by baton-wielding policemen and an AP photographer said at least four were wounded. Several protesters were arrested. Kurdish youths in Turkey have been staging violent street protests over the past few weeks to denounce Kurdish rebel chief Abdullah Ocalan's new prison conditions and the Turkish court decision to ban the party. Knesset member indicted over Syria visit Israeli authorities Sunday charged a member of the Knesset for heading a delegation of Druse leaders on a visit to Syria. Member of Knesset Said Nafa was indicted by the Nazareth District Court for having contacts with foreign agents and visiting an enemy country in connection with the 2007 trip, when he led a group of 282 people on a bus journey from Israel to Jordan and then to Syria, where they stayed for a week, The Jerusalem Post reported. BM
