The UN Regional information Centre for Western Europe, UNRIC Brussels, today published an interview with the author of the so-called “UN Legal Opinion" - the former UN Legal Counsel, Hans Corell. 

Corell stressed that he does not know how the agreements between the companies and Morocco were negotiated, and that he has not seen the texts of the agreements himself. Yet, the preconditions of their legality remain evident, he said.

"As is clear from my statement to the UN Security Council on 29 January 2002, the oil exploitation and related actvities will be in violation of international law concerning Non-Self-Governing Territories if they are taking place in the disregard of the interests and wishes of the people of Western Sahara".

He underlined: 

“The problem remains that there have never been consultations with representatives of the Saharawi people and that Morocco do not allow them to organize politically”, Corell told the UN information centre.

"Another problem I have witnessed is that several states in their relation to Western Sahara do not, with a single word, mention the fact that Morocco's 'jurisdiction' over the territory is limited by international rules for self-determination", he said.

Corell was also interviewed in January 2014 by the same information centre. 

"I find it particularly worrisome to see how the EU has acted in relation to fisheries in the waters offshore Western Sahara. The fact that the protocol of the EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement (FPA) from 2013 do not even mention Western Sahara, even less the parties' legal obligations in this situation, speaks for itself. It is completely unacceptable from a legal perspective", he said at the time. 

"Few days before the EU Parliament approved the protocol, 10 December 2013, Morocco refered to Western Sahara as "Moroccan Sahara" in the UN General Assembly. My recommendation to the Members of Parliament is that they study a short publication, Rule of Law – a guide for politicians", he noted.