3 Scandinavian MEPs denounce EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement in a Conference in Denmark, according to the Sahrawi news service UPES yesterday.
Two Swedish and Danish members of the European Parliament, declared today in a conference in Copenhagen that the EU- Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement is illegal, according to a press release by the Saharawi representation in the Nordic country.
Ms. Isabella Lovin, the Swedish EU parliamentarian and Mr Søren Sondergaard, Danish member of the EU Commission on Fisheries, who are participating to the Conference on Small-Scale Fisheries organized by Danish NGOs and attended by delegates from Sweden, African Union, United States, Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, Philippines, India, expressed this position answering a question on the nature of the agreement that includes the territory of Western Sahara.
Ms. Isabella Lovin, said that the “EU- Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement including the waters of Western Sahara was illegal and violates International Law”.
On his part, Mr Søren Sondergaard, said that “It is illegal to exploit Western Sahara’s natural resources through EU Agreements with Morocco”, and added that European parliamentarians of his opinion “are setting European Intergroup for Western Sahara in the European Parliament soon and we are going to address the EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement,”.
The Saharawi deputy representative in Denmark, Mr. Abba Malainin, participated to the conference. He first raised the issue of EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement of 2006 that included the waters of the illegally occupied Western Sahara, stressing that the people of Western Sahara, both in the Occupied territories and in the refugee Camps do not profit from this Agreement.
He added that such kind of Agreements could only prolong the Moroccan illegal occupation, encourage the Moroccan authorities grave human rights abuses in the occupied territories, add more sufferings to the Saharawi refugees and increase the illegal exploitation of the natural resources of Western Sahara.
However, he recalled that Sweden was the only EU country to vote against this agreement.
In reaction also, Ms. Kajsa Garpe, from the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, commented on this issue and recalled the opinion of Mr. Hans Corell, the ex-Deputy UN Secretary General of legal affairs, who clearly consider any exploitation of the natural resources of Western Sahara without the consent of its people as illegal.
Following the programme of the conference, Mrs Nancy Gitonga, Senior Fisheries Advisor in the African Union Commission, presented a lecture on Pros and Sons of Fisheries Agreements.
Ms Emelia Duffy-Tumasz, from the Institute for Security Studies (ISS in South Africa) presented another lecture relating to Corruption in Fisheries as primary driver for overexploitation of fish resources, while Mr. Ephrain Patrich spoke of Fishermen movement and organisations, and their paramount importance in the process of attaining sustainable fisheries and development.
Ms. Chandrika Sharma, Executive Secretary of International Collective in Support of Fish Workers, India spoke about Small Scale fishers’ rights and how the fulfilment of these rights will contribute to sustainable fisheries and social and economic development.
The EU is paying Morocco to fish in occupied Western Sahara. The EU-Morocco Fisheries Agreement is both politically controversial and in violation of international law.
The international Fish Elsewhere! campaign demands the EU to cancel its highly unethical operations, and go fishing somewhere else. No fishing in Western Sahara should take place until the conflict is solved.
facebook
digg
reddit
del.icio.us
furl
