London, 02/10/2006 (SPS) Dozens British parliamentarians from different political groups called on their Government to pay efforts so as to introduce amendments excluding the Western Sahara’s waters from the European Union-Morocco Fishing Agreement, which was adopted last May by the European Parliament.
Morocco "is illegally occupying the Western Sahara for 30 years so far. The EU strangely got associated with Morocco in exploiting the Saharawi resources", underlined an open motion already signed by more than 74 Parliamentarians, including 50 from the Labour Party in power in the UK.
The British Parliamentarians called on Blair’s Government, prior to the adoption of the mentioned fishing accord, before they will continue their pressures within the framework of the international campaign for the introduction of amendments in this accord.
The EP has given green light to the accord asking for an annual report on the respect of its clauses as a condition, knowing that one of the dispositions within the mentioned accord stipulates that in case there is proves that the regulations applied for by the accord is violating international engagements the European Commission shall adopt immediate measures to suspend the agreement.
The Fishing Agreement is not yet adopted by the Moroccan Parliament and thus it is not yet implemented, therefore raise the question if this delay in implementing it is due to some bureaucratic factors or to other reasons not yet revealed.
The International Campaign against the EU-Morocco Fishing Agreement, which implicates organisations from 19 European countries under the aegis of the Coalition "Fish Elsewhere", had paid efforts before the adoption of the accord aiming to exclude the Saharawi territories from it because the sovereignty of Morocco over the Western Sahara is not recognised and since the Western Sahara is considered by the international law as a non-Self-Governing territory.
Despite the fact that France and Spain had succeeded in pushing towards the adoption of this accord, the opposing movement had kept its international campaign at two levels: pursuit of the claims concerning the required amendments on one hand, and the follow up of the implementation of the accord as well as collecting substantial proves that show its contradiction with the international engagements of the Members State of the European Union. The aim is also to lobby the countries which oppose the accord to push them react and put pressures on the European Commission to annul the accord conforming to the European Parliament’s recommendations in similar cases.
Polisario Front’s Representative to the UK and Ireland, Sidi Omar Mohamed, explained in a statement to the Algerian Pres Service, APS, that the Saharawi Republic considers that the EU must understand that this accord is a violation to the international legality since it includes the waters of a Non-Self-Governing territory.
The Saharawi Representative also declared that the EU, by signing this accord with Morocco, approves the occupation instead of exercising the needed pressures on Morocco to compel it abide by the decisions of the international legality and implement the UN’s resolutions that support the Saharawi people’s right to self-determination.
Therefore, the Saharawi Representative underlined that the Saharawi Republic shares the concern expressed by the British parliamentarians, who fear that the UK becomes a partner to the illegal exploitation of the Saharawi resources because of this accord. (SPS)
010/090/700/TRD 021747 oct 06 SPS
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SPS SADR/UK/VISIT
End of a Saharawi women delegation’s visit to the UK
London, 02/10/2006 (SPS) A delegation representing the Saharawi Women National Union (UNFS), chaired by the person in charge for International Relations, Mrs. Zahra Ramdane, finished last Monday a work visit to the UK following an invitation from the British Association of solidarity with the Saharawi People, Western Sahara UK, according to a press release publicised by the Saharawi Representation to the UK and Ireland.
The delegation was invited to the annual congresses of different British political parties, especially the congress of the British Labour Party that was held in Manchester from the 24 to the 28 September, during which Mrs. Zahra Ramdane hailed Mr. Tony Blair and Minister Gordon Brown, the same text indicated.
The delegation of the UNFS also had had meetings with British Parliamentarians and with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Mrs. Margaret Beckett, as well as with the Secretary of State for International Development, Hilary Benn, to whom Mrs. Ramdane transmitted "a message of peace and justice from the Saharawi people, in particular from the Saharawi women", the same source indicated.
In her meetings, Mrs. Ramdane considered that it is necessary that the UK "play a more important role in exercising pressures on the Moroccan Government to compel it respect the UN’s decision regarding the decolonisation of the Western Sahara", the press release concluded. (SPS)
I find it funny that British MPs are spearheading this effort given that only recently 3 british companies have signed oil exploration deals with the non-existent sahrawi republic, I'm sure those two are not linked. The labour party should mind its own business, like extricating their country from Iraq or overthrow the poodle before he manages to get them into a war with Iran...
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chargement...
