London, December 22, 2013 (SPS) - Representative of POLISARIO Front to UK, Mohamed Limam Mohamed Ali, called Thursday on the European Union to reconsider the EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement (FPA), in a letter to Member of the European Parliament, Charles Tannock, relating to the recent approval by the European Parliament of the new Protocol.
‘The European Parliament is founded on the principles of democracy, freedom and respect for human and peoples’ rights, and in no way should it allow itself to be implicated in legitimising the stealing of the fisheries that belong to a people of a Non-Self-Governing Territory. We therefore call on the European Union to reconsider this agreement, which is contrary to its founding principles,’ Said the Representative of POLISARIO Front to UK in his letter to Mr. Tannock.
‘The responsibility of the EU is clear: it should not endorse the occupation of our country. Instead, the EU should join forces with the United Nations to complete the process of decolonisation in Western Sahara, which is subjected to the Moroccan policy of occupation and repression. The EU must contribute to the end of this state of affairs, which endangers peace and security in the region, and is utterly detrimental to Euro-Maghreb relations,’ the Sahrawi Representative added.
The Sahrawi diplomat recalled the position of POLISARIO Front that any Fisheries agreement with Morocco, that does not explicitly exclude the territorial waters of the Non-Self-Governing Territory of Western Sahara, is a matter of ‘great’ concern to Sahrawi people for a number of legal and political considerations.
The Representative of POLISARIO Front expressed appreciation to the MEPs who voted against the illegal fisheries agreement, in particular the UK MEPs, who from a total of 73 British MEPs, only 3 voted in favour of the new protocol.
He also acknowledged the positions of the UK Government, which refused, in line with international law, to endorse this fisheries agreement.
The Sahrawi Representative brought to attention the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice of 1975 and the legal opinion of the UN Under-Secretary for legal Affairs of 2002, according to which Morocco does not exercise any sovereignty or administration over Western Sahara, and it is simply an occupying power of the Territory. As an occupying power, Morocco thus has no right whatsoever to enter into agreements with third parties concerning the resources of Western Sahara over which only the Sahrawi people have permanent sovereignty.
He also reminded of the recent report referring to the region of Sahel and Western Sahara that was approved by the European Parliament on 22 October 2013. The report recognizes that it “expresses particular concern that the EU should not re-institute a fisheries agreement with Morocco while this controversy remains unresolved”. (SPS)
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