Today, Olof Palme International Center and MEP Åsa Westlund issued a press release on the illegal EU fisheries in occupied Western Sahara. "The European Parliament can stop this agreement, and we will do what we can to make this happen", stated Westlund.
The Spanish Congress rejected yesterday a call for respect of international law in the case of EU fisheries in Western Sahara. The main beneficiary of the illegal fisheries agreement is...Spain.
The EU fisheries in Western Sahara is to be debated in the Spanish Congress today.
A report from the Moroccan state and mining company ONHYM from September 2009 reveals that Morocco is exploring the uranium potential in occupied Western Sahara.
WSRW can today present the 11 page statement from the European Parliament’s Legal Service. The statement – concluding that EU fisheries in occupied Western Sahara under its current shape is in violation of international law - has been kept from the public for 7 months.
On 2 February 2010, representatives of the European Union and Morocco met in Rabat to analyze the problems of the EU-Moroccan Fisheries Partnership Agreement (FPA). The meeting never raised the opinions of the Sahrawi people, despite the fact that most of the fisheries take place offshore their land.
The NGO France Liberté, Fondation Danielle Mitterrand, denounced the EU fisheries agreement before the UN General Assembly's Human Rights Council.
In a letter sent to Ms. Carmen Fraga Estévez, Chairwoman of the Fisheries Committee of the European Parliament, Western Sahara Resource Watch demands the legal opinion, issued by the EP’s legal services and supporting Corell’s Legal Opinion, to be made public. WSRW demands also to immediately call for a suspension of all EU fisheries in the waters of Western Sahara.
A legal opinion arguing that EU fisheries offshore occupied Western Sahara must be suspended, was supposed to be discussed yesterday in the EP’s Fisheries Committee. This opinion drafted by the European Parliament’s legal service, was dropped off the agenda at the final minute.
Since July 2009, a legal opinion written by the European Parliament’s legal service has been held outside of public knowledge. The extraordinary text concludes that the EU fisheries in Western Sahara under its current shape must stop.
While the EU is in the process of revising its fisheries policy, 25 Sahrawi NGOs recommend the EU to let its fisheries follow international law, by stopping its fisheries in occupied Western Sahara. The organisations represent the vast majority of Sahrawi civil society groups in the occupied territories of Western Sahara and in the refugee camps in south-west Algeria.
The Australian fertilizer producer Incitec Pivot imports phosphate from occupied Western Sahara in violation of international law. Australian Council of Trade Unions, and Australia Western Sahara Association protested at the company's annual general meeting.
The fisheries agreement between Morocco and the EU, covering waters offshore Western Sahara, should be terminated. This was requested by representatives of the ERC in the Spanish parliament today.
"On the behalf of Brahim, myself and all the Saharawis I would also like to take the opportunity to thank Sweden for their opposition to the EU Fisheries Agreement" stated Aicha Dahane, upon accepting the Swedish Per Anger Human Rights Award, Monday, on behalf of her brother. Brahim Dahane is in Moroccan prison awaiting military trial for having visited his countrymen in the Sahrawi refugee camps.
"It is a violation of international law for the natural resources of Western Sahara to be exploited in this way. But the EU continues to buy permits from Morocco for EU fishing vessels which allows them to fish in Western Saharan waters. The people of Western Sahara have never given their permission for this to happen", stated MEP Jill Evans in a press release.