Is an oil war about to erupt in the middle of the Atlantic, with the Canary Islands embroiled right in the middle of the conflict? Tenerife News, 16 April 2009.
The company Prospectiuni from Romania are specialists on geological surveys.
In January, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic claimed their Exclusive Economic Zone offshore Western Sahara. Here is the SADR legislation.
A Thai owned, Danish operated vessel has recently arrived Colombia with phosphates from occupied Western Sahara.
The Swedish tour operator Ving has removed information from their homepages claiming that the occupation of Western Sahara in 1975 took place in a peaceful manner.
Statement from Western Sahara Resource Watch, 24 March 2009.
The Norwegian Council for Africa wrote in February about the shipping company Atlantic RTI which transported fish from occupied Western Sahara. The company now says they will prevent their vessels from being used for such purposes in the future.
France Libertés: Fondation Danielle Mitterrand - an NGO with special consultative status in the Human Rights Council - has submitted a written statement to the council denouncing the plundering of Western Sahara.
Faroe Islands national TV ran the Sahrawi demonstration against oil industry in Western Sahara as main story on its evening news 17 March 2009.
Sahrawi refugees on the Canary Islands yesterday protested against the Norwegian oil search in occupied Western Sahara. They demanded that the project be stopped.
For a few days more you will still find tomatoes from occupied Western Sahara on the vegetable counters of the Norwegian grocery store Coop. On Wednesday they stopped the controversial import. Norwatch, 11 March 2009.
Morocco has hired key lobbyists in the US to promote its illegal phosphate sales. While selling legitimate phosphate from Morocco, their government owned phosphate company OCP also exports phosphate from occupied Western Sahara to the US. Such trade is in violation of international law.
Norwegian Council for Africa: When The Norwegian Council for Africa visited occupied Western Sahara between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, we photographed a freighter that later turned out to be Norwegian. The shipping company Atlantic RTI confirmed the fish transport and said they dislike that their ship has been utilised in the occupied area.
BASF is member of UN\'s corporate social responsibility initiative Global Compact. But to Inner City Press, the company still refuses to disclose their "expert opinion" as to why they believe their imports of phosphates from occupied Western Sahara is legal. See video from the UN.
Former chairman of the Nobel Committee, and yesterday’s laureate of Student Peace Prize 2009 criticise the Norwegian-Dutch involvement in oil search in occupied Western Sahara.
The Nordic Committee of Co-operating Social Democratic Youth Organisations (FNSU), consisting of organisations from all the Nordic and Baltic countries, demands renegotiation of EU-Morocco fisheries agreement to exclude occupied Western Sahara.
The Irish oil company Island Oil and Gas - and their partners in San Leon - today announced their intention to upgrade their licence in occupied Western Sahara from a frontier licence to an exploration licence.
"WSRW believes it is time for the Saharawi people to settle the question of how they wish to be governed through the referendum which the UN calls for. Then it will be clear to companies with whom to deal", writes WSRW in letters to the editor in the petroleum journals Upstream and Petroleum Africa.
Fertilizer producer Yara receives critisicm in Norway for its 2008 phosphate purchase from occupied Western Sahara. The company answers they hope Western Sahara "will be liberated one day, and then the inhabitants will benefit if we can receive their phosphate quickly".
Download Afroil, 20 January 2009, covering the oil industry in Western Sahara.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry knew about the transaction but did not try to stop the import of phosphate from Western Sahara. Norway may have broken international law.
The vessel Ennerdale with link to El Aaiún, 2008.
The government of the Faroe Islands supports the Western Sahara people\'s right to self-determination over its natural resources.
Irishmen Bryan Benitz and and Paul Griffiths are leading a company that is planning to profit from an occupation.
Morocco has apparently launched a big onshore exploration programme in Western Sahara.
Uranium, diamonds, gold, niobium. ONHYM's mining programme in southern parts of occupied Western Sahara is speeding up. See where their projects are here.
LONDON, Jan 22 (Reuters) - The Western Sahara independence movement Polisario said on Thursday the European Union must stop boats fishing off the disputed territory's coast and announced a legal framework to back up its claim to the area's resources.
WESTERN Sahara's Petroleum Authority has accused Kosmos Energy of violating international law by awarding Fugro-Geoteam a contract for a major seismic survey in Morocco's Southern Provinces, writes Barry Morgan. Upstream, 23 January 2009.
Western Sahara Resource Watch demands that Fugro-Geoteam terminate their profoundly unethical activities, and immediately withdraw their vessel "Geo Caribbean" from the Western Saharan waters. Fugro works in occupied Western Sahara on behalf of Moroccan authorities. Read open letter to Fugro, 12 January 2009.
A huge Norwegian research vessel has in secret travelled to the coast of occupied Western Sahara. This weekend the Norwegian company Fugro-Geoteam started a controversial operation to carry out oil exploration, in defiance of the advice of the UN and the Norwegian government. Norwatch, 12 January 2009.
From this port, in El Aaiun, Western Sahara, the international phosphate plundering is taken place.
Gas tanker 'Lingegas' has visited occupied Western Sahara.
The New Zealand company Ballance Agri-Nutrients has again bought phosphate rock from a Moroccan state phosphate company in occupied Western Sahara. The shipment arrived 3 December 2008, on the Israeli managed vessel 'White Diamond'.
Madeira has constructed a second artificial beach. Just as before, the sand is originating from occupied Western Sahara.
The Swedish Trade Council has withdrawn a map from its homepages, showing Western Sahara as part of Morocco. The step was taken after correction from the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Incitec Pivot is receiving one more controversial phosphate shipment from occupied Western Sahara.
Vessel Yasa Gulten to arrive New Zealand in Christmas week.
The Swedish Green Party signs the international appeal from Western Sahara Resource Watch, WSRW, which demands that Western Sahara should be explicitly excluded if the EU and Morocco agrees on deepened cooperation.
Communiqué on the Conference on Multilateralism and International Law with Western Sahara as case study Hosted by the South African Department of Foreign Affairs and the University of Pretoria, 4 and 5 December 2008.
See more details about the conference itself here.
The former UN Legal Counsel, Ambassador Hans Corell, calls the EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement (FPA) illegal. Western Sahara Resource Watch demands immediate halt of European plundering of occupied Western Sahara. PRESS RELEASE from WSRW.
The vessel Sea Lavender is here loading phosphates in occupied Western Sahara, destined for Mexican imports.
No less than 426 organisations signed a petition letter, demanding from the EU Commission that occupied Western Sahara be kept clearly outside of the so- called Advanced Status cooperation that Morocco currently is being granted. The petition was sent to the EU Commission this morning. PRESS RELEASE.
Two so-called reefers, or refrigerated ships, have recently visited El Aaiun harbour in occupied Western Sahara, for transport of frozen fish to Russia and China.
On December 5th 2008, a petition letter signed by 426 organisations was sent to the EU commission demanding that occupied Western Sahara be kept outside of the Morocco-EU socalled Advanced Status cooperation. Do you wish your organisation had signed, but did not make the deadline?
Two vessels are arriving New Zealand with phosphates from occupied Western Sahara first week of December.
Update: ....and here is one for Christmas.
The Swiss flagged and managed vessel Celerina in November carried out a highly unethical phosphates transport from occupied Western Sahara to Louisiana, USA.
Shortly before the Government of New Zealand changed, the former Minister of Trade, Hon Phil Goff, wrote two letters regarding the natural resource exploitation. Read them here.
New Zealand firm Ballance Agri-Nutrients is importing phosphates from Western Sahara, contributing in the financing and legitimation of the illegal occupation from the territory. Here is correspondence between the NZ firm and the Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara.
The bulk vessel Furness Karumba arrived this port in Perth, Australia, in August.
In an extraordinary show of arrogance and disdain for representatives of civil society organizations, the Washington based law firm Covington & Burling flatly refuses to engage with the global solidarity network Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW) and this year's Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Human Rights Award laureate, Mrs. Aminatou Haidar. The US law firm is, because of a legal analysis it provided, the source the world phosphate industry refers to when they claim the phosphate trade from Western Sahara to be legal.
Several Swedish parliamentarians from one of the parties in the Swedish government, have motioned that the Swedish Government should work to prevent the EU from signing any new agreements or agreements of advanced status with Morocco "as long as the country occupies Western Sahara".
BASF, the German chemical company who imported Western Saharan phosphates early October, wrote that they "are fully confident that the operations of OCP at Boucraa and the purchase of the replacement delivery were consistent with international law". But after request from WSRW, they refuse to publish their “expert opinion” upon which their conclusion is based. To clarify further aspects of the unpublished report, they refer to a US law firm.
The fertilizer company Yara remains under investigation by Norwegian police after having purchased a shipload of phosphates from occupied Western Sahara.
Read the report on the international trade union delegation to occupied Western Sahara from 17th to 22nd of February 2008.
Western Sahara Resource Watch has received more photos documenting the vessel that arrived Tasmania, Australia, end of October, carrying phosphates from occupied Western Sahara.
The talks of granting a so-called Advanced Status to Morocco are getting ever more concrete. But to this day, the EU and Morocco have still avoided stating whether or not occupied Western Sahara should be involved in the cooperation. “There is an elephant walking around in the negotiations room, which no one wants to see or mention”, said WSRW in press release today. Read press release and letter to the EU here.
J. Lauritzen, the Danish shipping conglomerate, has been accused of plundering natural resources from the occupied Western Sahara, a report said.
Florida fertilizer company Mosaic Co. has received another vessel of phosphates from occupied Western Sahara, in violation of international law. Western Sahara Resource Watch section Florida has urged the company to stop its imports. Read letter here.
German former MEP, and former leader of the Western Sahara solidarity network at the European Parliament, Margot Keßler, has this week sent a letter to the Belgian branch of the German chemical company BASF. In the letter, Mrs. Keßler asks for a clarification on a series of questions regarding BASF's imports of phosphates from occupied Western Sahara.
She arrived Tasmania this week. Photo is from 23rd of October 2008.
Two bulk vessels filled with phosphates from occupied Western Sahara are within the next weeks arriving New Zealand.
These last days, a vessel has been unloading phosphates from the occupied Western Sahara at the harbour of Ghent (Belgium). The importer of these phosphates is believed to be chemical giant BASF.