Today, the European Parliament’s agricultural committee issued its opinion that Parliament should refuse its consent to the conclusion of the agricultural agreement with Morocco. “The issue of the Western Sahara territories, with regard to which Parliament's legal services have been asked for an opinion, calls for careful assessment”, states the Committee’s report.
As the Moroccan authorities prohibit Saharawi from leaving the towns in order to prevent them from building protest camps in the desert, these five protesters have started a peaceful sit-in in front of their home on 7 July 2011. They call for the right to benefit from their homeland's abundant natural resources.
Three fishermen associations registered in Dakhla, occupied Western Sahara, say they've not seen any benefits stemming from investments and projects at the local harbour. Ironically, their statement comes only a few days after the EU Member States' split vote approval of the much debated one-year extension of the EU Morocco fish pact – claiming the investments under the agreement are beneficial to the local population.
Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs underlines that the wishes of the Sahrawis must be taken into account upon undertaking business in the territory of Western Sahara.
Another demonstration in the capital of occupied Western Sahara took place yesterday. Moroccan police prevented people from joining the protesters.
2 Swedish students insist that the EU ambassador to Rabat had no reason to claim that "independent institutions" have supported the EU fisheries in Western Sahara, as he claimed in a press conference last year. Their correspondence with the EU delegation to Morocco reveals that the ambassador was only refering to the EU itself.
While the UN hosted peace talks between Morocco and Polisario in the US last week, a large load of illegally excavated Saharawi phosphates was being discharged in Louisiana. The peace talks covered the management of natural resources of occupied Western Sahara. The UN says such trade is in violation of international law, but PotashCorp defends Morocco\'s claims to the territory.
Spanish fish food company Jealsa Rianxeira receives ever more critisicm for its engagement in occupied Western Sahara.
Russian media reports today that an agreement has been signed between Moscow and Rabat for catch of 100.000 tonnes of fish offshore Morocco. Most of the fisheries, however, will not take place in Morocco.
The most heavily involved foreign firm in occupied Western Sahara, US-Canadian fertiliser company PotashCorp, has published a statement on its trade and on how it interprets the Western Sahara conflict. Read their erroneous text, and WSRW’s comments.
UPDATE - The hunger strike was ended on Saturday 18 June 2011.
Since 12 April, six Saharawi citizens in Guelmim in Southern Morocco have been on hunger strike to condemn the EU’s fisheries in occupied Western Sahara and the involvement of US phosphate importer PCS and Irish oil company San Leon in the plunder of the territory.
The Lithuanian firm Lifosa refused to answer the question whether they intend to terminate phosphate imports from Western Sahara, and was today kicked out of the UN Global Compact initiative on Corporate Social Responsibility.
There is no unequivocal proof that Western Sahara, let alone its people, has benefitted from the EU-Morocco fisheries partnership agreement (FPA), according to the Irish government.
