Washington, Dec 10, 2013 (SPS) - The international NGO Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW) denounced Tuesday the adoption by European Parliament of a fisheries agreement between the European Union (EU) and Morocco, noting that EU has violated human rights on the same day of the celebration of the 65th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The European Parliament decided to back up the EU-Morocco fisheries agreement “opening for fishing in the waters of Western Sahara, a territory of which large parts have been occupied by Morocco since 1975,” affirmed WSRW which stated that it is "a sad day for international peace and human rights."
The agreement was inked on the 1st year anniversary of the Nobel Peace Prize of the EU and on the International Day of Human Rights, the NGO added. “Today’s decision by the European Parliament flies in the face of the people of Western Sahara,” said Erik Hagen, chair of WSRW.
In this regard, the Saharawi people have, under international law, “the right to be heard on economic activities taking place in their land under occupation. The EU has today neglected those rights,” he added.
All EU’s rhetoric of Human Rights Day today proves to be “shallow", he added. (SPS)
090/089/700