Copenhagen (Denmark) March 30, 2016 (SPS) – On response to questions forwarded recently by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Danish Parliament to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Kristian Jensen related to the forcible expulsion by the Moroccan authorities to three Danish Journalist from “Information Newspaper” on February 15th, from Aaiun the capital of occupied Western Sahara who wished to report about the situation in Western Sahara.
The Minister Said: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Danish Embassy in Rabat are not aware of the specific case referred to, but Denmark regularly raises human rights issues in the ongoing bilateral dialogue with the Moroccan authorities, including what related to the issue of Western Sahara.”
“The Government supports that human rights issue is incorporated as part of the UN mission (MINURSO) mandate, if there appears an opportunity to get it passed in the UN Security Council.”
“From the Danish side, we emphasize that Morocco and other EU partners live up to their human rights obligations.”
The Questions forwarded by the Foreign Affairs Committee are: “Does the Minister agree with the Moroccan authorities to prevent Danish Journalists from informing about the human rights situation in Western Sahara?"
“Will the Minister urge Morocco to lift the information blackout, release the area from the grip of the military and encourage transparency of what is happening in the area?”
“Does the Minister believe that Morocco is acting in accordance with Article 2 of the EU‑Morocco Association Agreement, which itself stipulates that it is conditional upon ‘respect for the democratic principles and fundamental human rights?”SPS
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