Polisario Representative in Denmark denounces EU-Morocco fisheries agreement
10/09/2009

Polisario Front’s Deputy Representative in Denmark, Abba Malainin, denounced on Tuesday the Eu-Morocco fisheries agreement, during a seminar organised in preparation for the Conference on Small - scale fisheries in Copenhagen (September 12th, 2009).

Organised by two Danish NGOs: Afrika Kontakt and People Uniting and Generating Aid for Development (PUGAD) and attended by delegates from South Africa, United States, African Union, Western Sahara, Philippines, India and Kenya, the seminar discussed many theme related to Fisheries Agreements between African Countries and overseas States and / or Companies: with particular focus on Agreements with the European Community.

Mrs Nancy Gitona, Senior Fisheries Advisor in the African Union presented a lecture about this subject.

Ms Emelia Duffy-Tumasz, from the Institute for Security Studies (ISS in South Africa) presented another lecture relating to Corruption and fisheries in Africa.

Abba Malainin raised the issue of the EU- Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement of 2006 that included the waters of occupied Western Sahara, describing it as illegal and incompatible with the international law.

He recalled that no country in the world, nor the UN, recognises Western Sahara as Moroccan territory and that, it has been registered in the UN since 1963 as a colony eligible of decolonisation since 1966. “The UN clearly established that the future of Western Sahara territory should be decided through a self-determination referendum”, he stressed.

The Saharawi Diplomat informed the participants in this Seminar that the only EU country that voted against this illegal Agreement was Sweden, deploring the EU disrespect of the Saharawi people’s rights and sovereignty over their colonised territory.

“The profits of such kind of Agreements do not go to the people of Western Sahara. But rather prolong the Moroccan Occupation to Western Sahara; support the occupiers in maintaining the grave human rights violations, plunder the natural resources of the territory and add the suffering of the Saharawi refugees” Abba Malainin added.

The participants suggested that they will raise the issue of the EU- Moroccan Fisheries partnership Agreement in the Conference.