Further to the visit made in Kabylia by a Catalan parliamentary delegation in January, 2007, a Kabyle delegation was invited to stay in Catalonia from the 26 to the 30 of January 2008. Led by the President of the CMA, Belkacem Lounes, the Kabyle delegation consisted of Ahmed Ait-Bachir, representative of the MAK; Hassina Yacini, coordinator of a collective of associations in Kabylia and Soraya Sough, President of women’s association and Kabyle associative activist in Catalonia.

Sofian Adjlan, activist for the autonomy of Kabylia and Salim Chait, from the student union at the university Mouloud Mammeri of Tizi-Ouzou who were also invited, were not able to be there.

For Salim Chait, this hindrance is due to the non liberation of its passport by the Algerian authorities. The CMA and the MAK denounce firmly this shape of ban on exit of the territory against an activist known for its commitments in favour of the rights and the interests of Kabylia.

The purpose of the visit of the Kabyle delegation in Catalonia was mainly to make known the current situation in Kabylia and to discuss, mean to strengthen the links in all the domains, between both countries and both peoples. In this frame, the Kabyle representatives were received by the deputies to the Catalan Parliament, by the people in charge of the party Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, by members of the Catalan government as well as By Mr. Josep-Lluis Carod-Rovira, Vice-president of Catalonia.

Besides, the members of the Kabyle delegation met representatives of the organizations of the Catalan civil society(non-trading company) as well as members of the Agraw Amazigh de Catalunya.

At every level, the Catalans showed themselves deeply interested and attentive to the statements which were presented to them on Kabylia and undertook to support in various manners the legitimate wrestling of the kabyles to protect their identity and assure their sovereignty.

In front of his diverse interlocutors, the Kabyle delegation repeated its deepest thanks to the authorities and to the Catalans people which constitute an example of support for the amazighe identity. The kabyle and the Amazighs generally will never forget that the only parliament to have denounced the bloody repression in Kabylia in 2001 was the Catalan parliament, that Catalonia is the only foreign country where Tamazight is taught in schools and where there is an observatory of the amazighe language .

Commitments were taken by both parts parties to multiply the visits and the exchanges between both peoples and concretize projects in various domains in Kabylia.

Barcelona, February 1st, 2008

P / the Kabyle delegation in Catalonia

The secretarial department of the CMA.