Expression – The Daily – The Polisario Front in a state of alert

Saharawi leaders have called on MEPs to reject an EU-Morocco agreement that would include the territories of Western Sahara

The European Parliament is facing its responsibilities after receiving from the EU Council of Ministers a "decision to extend to Western Sahara its tariff preferences provided for in the Association Agreement with Morocco". A text that goes against the judgments of the European Court of Justice. What did they say? "… Given the separate and distinct status guaranteed to the territory of Western Sahara by virtue of the United Nations Charter and the principle of self-determination of peoples, it is impossible to consider that the term" territory of the Kingdom of Morocco " ", Which defines the territorial scope of the Association and Liberalization Agreements, includes Western Sahara and, therefore, that these agreements are applicable to this territory," concluded on 21 December 2016, the European magistrates. The judgment of the EU Court judges emphasized that the EU and Morocco have decided to implement the agricultural agreement, which they concluded in Western Sahara in 2012 without they have seen fit to consult his people. The argument is based on international legality. "In view of the advisory opinion rendered by the International Court of Justice in 1975 on Western Sahara at the request of the United Nations General Assembly, the people of that territory must be regarded as a third party likely to be affected through the implementation of the liberalization agreement, "said Cjue. A year later, almost to the day, she was cutting again. This time concerning the fisheries agreement between the two parties. He has been described as "invalid". "In concluding this agreement, the Union has violated its obligation to respect the right of the people of Western Sahara to self-determination, as well as not to recognize an unlawful situation resulting from its violation and has not put in place guarantees. necessary to ensure that the exploitation of the natural resources of Western Sahara is done for the benefit of the people of this territory ", wrote the general counsel for the Cjue, Melchior Wathelet, in his conclusions published on January 10, 2018. The agreement that expired last Sunday should have led to the departure of the European fishing fleets Sahrawi territorial waters. Spectacular turn of events. The EU Council of Ministers adopts a text that runs counter to the judgments of the European Court of Justice. It remains to be voted on by the European Parliament. The Polisario Front strongly condemned this amendment, including the territorial waters of Western Sahara occupied militarily by Morocco. The first signs of this spur to the judgment of the European Court of Justice came on 16 April, when EU Member States gave the green light to launch new negotiations on the fisheries with Morocco. The EU had tried to reassure international opinion in general and the Saharawi people in particular. The fisheries agreement binding it to Morocco, which must be renegotiated, "will scrupulously respect the decision of the European Court of Justice (Cjue) which concluded that the agreement in question does not apply to the territorial waters of Western Sahara. On 16 April 2018, the Spanish Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Isabel Garcia Tejerina, declared on her arrival in Brussels to attend a meeting with her European counterparts. The EU has decided to trample justice. She will be dragged back to the bar again. The Polisario Front takes note of the decision taken today (Monday Ndlr) by the Council of the European Union to sign an amendment to the EU-Morocco Association Agreement, intended to apply to the Sahara territory Western, and strongly condemns this decision, "said a statement from the Saharawi Ministry of Information Sahrawi, which promises" to attack this decision before the Cjue ". Saharawi officials denounced an EU "which turns its back on justice to protect political and financial interests in the short term and hampers peace efforts" in Western Sahara. They urged MEPs "to assume all their responsibilities and to reject this illegal proposal". Will they dare? It's all about credibility …

Russia backs UN special envoy
Russia is still pushing for the implementation of UN decisions, the ambassador said Russian in Algeria Igor Beliaiev in an exclusive interview granted to Sputnik. "The Russian Federation supports the activities of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara. We also support the work of the UN Special Envoy for Western Sahara, Sir [Horst] Koehler, who is now undertaking dynamic efforts to revive the dialogue between Morocco and the Polisario Front on solving problems. of Western Sahara, "the agency's interlocutor said.