According to the Madrid daily El Pais of May 16, the Moroccan Prime Minister declared in Lisbon, that Morocco had presented to the UN a new proposal on Western Sahara. In the daily El Periodico of May 19, Antonio Baquero states that James Baker considers the proposal sufficiently important to be presented to the Polisario for negotiation. It provides a "substantial devolution of authority" during a 10-year transitory period while the implementation of a self-determination referendum would be studied. The administration of the territory would be turned over to a "Council for Saharan Affairs", composed of members of the Polisario Front and of Saharawis living for 25 years in the occupied territories. This Council would have at its disposal 20% of the phosphates and fisheries incomes, and would administer culture, social affairs and partly justice. Morocco would retain control of the police, defense, foreign affairs and communications. Al-Ousboua Assiasi, the Moroccan weekly cited by Baquero, claims that the Polisario Front and Algeria are ready to engage in talks. Experts consulted by the Spanish journalist, consider the proposal a tactical move. Morocco knows that the Polisario will refuse it. So Rabat would have proposed a solution and the Polisario will appear as the one refusing a peaceful solution.

The 29 members of the National Secretariat of the Polisario Front (SN) met in ordinary session chaired by its General Secretary, Mohamed Abdelaziz. He reaffirmed that the conflict in Western Sahara cannot be resolved without respecting the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination. He deplored the lack of firmness of the UN and the Security Council towards Morocco and called on MINURSO to implement the settlement plan as soon as possible. Abdelaziz formally expressed "the total rejection... of any attempt aiming to bypass the rights of the Saharawi people to self-determination and independence." He noted that the European Union, and France in particular, are participating in the subjugation of the Saharawi people by aiding Morocco financially and plundering Saharawi resources, and asked them to bring a just peace to Western Sahara by fully implementing the UN settlement plan.

In an interview given to Al-Sharq al-Awsat, the Algerian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Abdelaziz Belkhadem said that Algeria "supports the UN settlement plan which was agreed by the international community including Morocco." This plan is still valid and the Security Council resolutions support it. "Like other countries, we continue to adhere to this plan out of respect for international legitimacy. If there is an initiative now, we will express our opinion of it when we know its substance..."

The correctional court of Rabat sentenced 36 members of AMDH, Truth and Justice Forum, which represents Saharawi victims of forced abduction and arbitrary arrest as well as relatives of political detainees, to three months' imprisonment. These militants were taken into custody by the police on their way to a sit-in in Rabat on 9 December 2000. The authorities had banned the demonstration. Each of the accused was found guilty of "participation in the organization of a prohibited demonstration and unarmed assembly on a public highway which could have threatened public order", and was also fined 3,000 dirhams (300 euros). All intend to lodge an appeal.

An AMDH statement denounces these arbitrary sentences. The Observatory for the Protection of Defenders of Human Rights expresses consternation at the arrests "in flagrant contradiction of the international instruments for the protection of human rights to which Morocco is a party." Amnesty International also condemns the judgment, declaring that freedom of expression remains seriously threatened in Morocco and such a trial should never have taken place. Amnesty International says: "Intimidating human rights defenders with jail sentences for exercising their right to freedom of expression is unacceptable."

The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) weekly program for International Affairs showed a five-minute report from Western Sahara entitled "Western Sahara: Africa's last colony" with recent footage from Moroccan-occupied cities in Western Sahara and the Saharawi refugee camps in South West Algeria.

In a recent interview with NRK television, Polisario Front coordinator with MINURSO Mr. Emhamed Khadad said: "The UN is operating with double standards. The UN defended international legality in Namibia, [East] Timor and even in the Balkans but is unable to do so against Morocco." When asked what Polisario would expect from Norway as a new member of the UN Security Council, Khadad stated: "We expect Norway to be an advocate for international legality and peace. To achieve lasting peace it is necessary to allow the Saharawi people to return home after 25 years [of exile] and to vote freely to decide what they want to be." In the following studio commentary, a member of the Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara, Mr. Ronny Hansen highlighted French support for the Moroccan obstruction of the settlement plan for Western Sahara: "The UN has finally identified the 86,300 eligible voters but Morocco is now openly refusing to accept the work of the UN and to respect the peace plan it previously signed. Morocco would never be able to maintain the very costly occupation of Western Sahara without the active support of some central UN members, particularly France."

José Ramos-Horta, the Vice-President of the National Council of Timorese Resistance who is also responsible for East Timor's external relations, visited the Saharawi refugee camps for two days. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate expressed his admiration for "the level of organization of Saharawi society in every domain." He hoped to see cooperation between the two countries and that Saharawi specialists in various areas would be sent to East Timor to enable the Timorese people to profit from their experience. Mr Ramos Horta pointed out that Indonesia, the second military power of the region after Vietnam, with rich oil and gas resources, and with over 215 million inhabitants and alliances with the West had not managed to annex East Timor, adding that he is convinced that the Saharawi people will succeed in gaining independence from Morocco.