Europolitics
The Polisario Front is angry over the 3 February agreement in Coreper (member states’ permanent representatives) on the European Commission’s mandate to negotiate a new fisheries protocol with Morocco on behalf of the EU. Mohamed Sidati, the front’s representative in Europe, notes that “the text of the mandate does not even refer to the Western Sahara, which has been illegally occupied by Morocco since 1975”. He denounces “the instructions given by EU governments to the Commission to leave it open for Europe to recommence its theft of Western Sahara’s resources”. “This new mandate also flies in the face of the clear message from the European Parliament, which rejected a similar deal with Morocco just last December” (seeEuropolitics4327), added Sidati. He called for the Polisario Front to be involved in the negotiations: “Only with the Frente Polisario at the negotiating table can the EU hope to ensure that fishing in Western Sahara’s waters is in accordance with international law”.
