Brussels, 21 Oct (EFE). – European Commissioner for Fisheries, Maria Damanaki, and the Moroccan Minister for Fisheries, Aziz Akhannouch, have debated the fisheries agreement, set to expire in March 2011. But still no agenda has been set to negotiate its renewal, sources from within the Commission informed Efe.

At their annual Party Congress, the European Liberal Democrats’ Party have adopted a resolution stating that the fisheries agreement between the European Union and Morocco should not be extended, unless the Saharan waters are excluded from the agreement.

In its statement to the United Nations’ Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee), Western Sahara Resource Watch called for the establishment of a mechanism to place the proceeds from the exploitation of Western Sahara’s natural resources under international administration until the conflict has been resolved, and for the inclusion of a human rights component into the MINURSO mandate.

“Extravagant”, is the term used by a spokesperson for the Moroccan government, to describe the request made by several MEPs to exclude Western Saharan waters from the EU-Moroccan fisheries agreement. MEPs from different political groups launched this request during a seminar on illegal fisheries in Western Sahara, held in the European Parliament on Tuesday 5 October.

When Fugro Norway was to promote itself on the Business days at the University of Oslo on 28 September, they were welcomed with cake. In 2009, Fugro was refused to attend the same event due to their engagement in occupied Western Sahara. Since then, the firm has withdrawn from the occupied territory.

“I ask the EU to please take into account the rights of my people. We, the Saharawi, are saddened over the way this fisheries agreement with Morocco affects our struggle”, stated the Saharawi refugee Senia Abderahman to the European Commission.

The French owned bulk vessel 'Tenor' has in September completed a big shipment to New Zealand of phosphates from occupied Western Sahara. French organisation urges company to halt further transports from the territory.

"If the EU is to raise its credibility with the African Union, reviewing its stance toward Africa’s last colonial conflict would be a good place to start", reads WSRW's letter published in European Voice today.

For more than a month, Aminatou Haidar, the internationally awarded Saharawi human rights activist and President of Saharawi Human Right organisation CODESA, has waited for a reply from the EU’s ambassador to Morocco, Mr. Eneko Landaburu. The EU ambassador is failing to respond to a simple question regarding the legality of the EU fisheries in occupied Western Sahara.

See photos of the vessel 'Christine O' arriving at port Risdon, Hobart, Tasmania, yesterday afternoon. The vessel contained phosphate rock from occupied Western Sahara, purchased by Impact Fertilisers.

This afternoon, a bulk vessel is set to arrive port of Risdon, Hobart, Tasmania, with phosphate rock plundered from occupied Western Sahara. 8 Swiss parliamentarians protest the continued imports.