Exclusive interview with Polisario leader THE BITTER WARINTHE

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Captured American-made lorries in use by Polisario Front fighters This is the first of a two-part Socialist Press interview with a leading member of the Polisaric Front and spokesman of the government of the Democratic Arab Republic of the Sahara.

The second part of the interview with a comment by Socialist Press will follow next week.

How did the independence struggle in Western Sahara begin?

We should go back a little in history. When the Polisario Front was formed in 1973 it was the crowning of a long struggle of the Saharoui people against Spanish colonialism.

This struggle, which dates from the very beginnings of colonialism in the country, has taken on various aspects in different phases of the struggle of the Saharoui people.

But it never came to have the organisation or political consciousness necessary to survive the onslaughts oi colonialism and its helpers.

What happened was that the Polisario Front was founded in 1973.

It has a just position and a correct analysis of the reality of the situation of the Saharoui people, It adopted the armed struggle against the Spanish.

It also took into account the resolutions of the United Nations dating from the year 1966 in favour of the self determination and independence for the Saharau 2900 e.

The neighbour.ng cou-t.ies. including Morocco and Wa--. tania, were among the courtes which voted in favour at mese resolutions on various accas ors.

So, making the strugge o° the Saharoui peopie a concrete reality, we embarked on the armed struggle on 20 1973.

Depending on its own resources, this struggle developed both politically and militarily, culminating in 1975 with great political and military victories-with the visit of the UN Commission and the report they issued which once again set out the principles of self-government for the Saharoui people.

In that report the military and political leadership of the Polisario Front is clearly recognised.

What was the reaction Spanish regime?

Spain, which was under tremendous pressure from the liberation struggle of our people, decided to indulge in various manoeuvres without ever having success.

A: times it attempted to seat mird sorces, at times it = es Ta ===== Donor. == = a ace . desanded Saharoui people before the UN and the Organisation of African Unity, after having promised internationally to give independence to the Saharoui people, the Spanish government betrayed the Saharoui people in the most illegal and horrible manner possible-that is through the sale of a whole people and the land on which they lived like a herd of cattle.

Faithful to its principles and the examples of its martyrs, the people had no alternative but to continue the armed struggle against the new aggressors-the regimes of Morocco and Mauritania.

In spite of having the advantage in arms and men and in sophisticated material, and employing all the most inhuman and destructive methods like napalm against our camps in the liberated zones, the Moroccan army never managed to wipe out the resistance of the Saharoui people.

Tes -as stance was reorgan= 90 =00 5395900 even 25and Mauritanian regimes.

This war has been located not only in the territory of Western Sahara itself, but we have taken the battlefield into the whole northern area of Mauritania and the south of Morocco.

There were two attacks on the Mauritanian capital in June 1976 and July 1977 as well as the attacks on Souerrate, where the Mauritanian iron ore mines are, as well as attacks on ElAyun, occupied by Morocco on various occasions and a number of other towns.

What was the outcome of these attacks?

This general offensive had a great deal of success. By the end of 1977 Mauritania had been effectively neutralised-militarily destroyed, economically without any funds to pay for the war and with an unbearable political and social crisis.

What happened then was that a third force intervened in the struggle-a force that has always intervened-and that was As one of the great powers, • 530e gehind the tripartite gage: of Madrid, and $50=5 as to Morocco and Va--==- 3.

5% age and other pianes exercised air control and took aerial photographs of the region in order to give them to the enemies of the National Liberation Army.

What is the ditfarance in forces in the war between you and the We think that the number of soldiers and material at their disposal doesn't determine the strength of an army-unfortunately for some, but luckily for us.

The number of soldiers in the Mauritanian and Moroccan armies is far greater than the Saharoui army. • The Moroccans have more than 30,000 soldiers in the Sahara, equipped with the best available arms, both in the air and on the ground.

The Mauritanian army can't really be called an army. It has been organised in the middle of a war just to wage this war.

•But all this force has not been able to smother the faith of the army of national liberation of the Sahara Republic.

•This is because when you wilt for on union, cause, the TOr spirit are lost.

so ine supremacy of the eLPolisario Front is not supremacy, in numbers or in arms but a supremacy in will, determination, fighting spirit, motivation and faith in the revolutionary struggle as against the lack of faith of the soldiers of the enemy who don't know what they are fighting for.

As to our numbers, all we can say is that our whole people are fighting; the whole people, both women and men, have arms in their hands.

What is your attitude to the French intervention?

This intervention has only increased the resolve of our people to continue with the national liberation struggle.

The Saharoui people, which has often been distinguished by its generosity and its respect for human dignity, has taken many Spanish and French prisoners.

But it has always treated them in the best possible way and has always liberated them.

We freed Spanish fishermen, soldiers and businessmen; we freed a Dutch prisoner who was cooperating with Mauritania; we freed two French prisoners in 1976; and in 1977 we freed the eight French prisoners who were militarily cooperating with the Mauritanian regime.

But shamefully these acts have not been replied to in kind. Instead Jaguar aircraft were sent to attack our combatants:

This provocation has not had the effects desired either on the morale of our people, or militarily.

So the results of these political and military defeats for the enemy, with the recognition of the Democratic Arab Republic of the Sahara by many countries which are increasing in number all the time, the recognition of the Polisario Front by the majority of African countries and of progressive and left parties in Europe, and the genera: sympathy for the struggle of the Saharoui people, has meant that our enemies have been isolated.

How important is the recent coup d'etat in Mauritania?

The diplomatic and military successes of the Saharoui people and the superiority of the Polisario Front are connected with the coup d'etat in Mauritania.

It was the result of the war against the Saharoui people.

The people of Mauritania have always rejected this war and have always been against it. It was imposed on them.

Morocco has taken advantage of the general sympathy felt by other African states towards Mauritania, by drawing the Mauritanians as much as possible into the conflict.

The Moroccans have never had a policy towards Africa or any sympathy fror the African countries.

So when this coup d'etat came it had repercussions at the regional level.

Why did you declare fire with Mauritania?

Since the new regime declared from the first moment that the war was not in the interests of the Mauritanian people, but that it had been imposed on them, we declared a unilateral and provisional cease-fire inside Mauritanian territory.

Why? First to facilitate the task of the new regime if it genuinely wants peace.

Also to respect the wishes of the Mauritanian people, which is the principal element in this new position of the Mauritanian regime.

Third, to show that the Polisario Front is sufficiently mature to take the initiative towards a settlement of the conflict in general. That's why we have declared the cease-fire in Mauritania.

We hope that this initiative receives a corresponding reply. We also hope that the Mauritanian regime can resist the pressure from Morocco.

Of course it is not in the interests of Morocco that Mauritania withdraws from the conflict.

So the cease-fire doesn't to Morocco?

As to the rest of the war, this cease-fire is operative only inside Mauritanian territory. We have multiplied military operations against Morocco.

And, as a result of this increase of activity, we have obtained the latest enormous successes-such as the attack on 21 August as a reply to Hassan's speech in which he said he wouldn't accept a regime with a different ideology betwen him and Mauritania.

The August 21 operation took place 15 kilometres away from El-Ayun. Two Moroccan companies were completely liquidated. And inspite of the closeness of El-Ayun no help came for the Moroccans.

The other operation was on 26 and 27 August, also in Moroccan territory.

The Moroccars have said that it was the Algeriars who attacked them. Thar's nomal because every time they are defeated they try to deny the reality in order to disguise from their own people the strength of our army, and to convince the Moroccan people that it must have been a strong regular army which defeated them.

Morocco is going through a very strong economic crisis.

Among the military there is complete demoralisation with little will to fight and the environment is completely hostile to them. It is very difficult for them to cope with a long-lasting war.

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SOCIALIST rer, 1978