ABC NEWS
by The Associated Press
The European Union’s fisheries agreement with Morocco has been cast into doubt after a top legal advisor said Wednesday that the pact is invalid because it does not respect the rights of people in the disputed Western Sahara region.
In an opinion for the European Court of Justice, Advocate General Melchior Wathelet said Western Sahara’s people have a right to self-determination and possible sovereignty over natural resources there.
Morocco considers the vast, mineral-rich Western Sahara as its “southern provinces” and fiercely defends against anything considered a threat to its territorial integrity. The territory’s status is one of the most sensitive topics in the North African kingdom.
Wathelet said that EU fishing in waters off the territory “does not respect the right of the people of Western Sahara to self-determination,” according to a statement from the ECJ.
He considers that the fishing agreement is incompatible with EU treaties that require the bloc’s actions abroad to protect human rights and strictly respect international law.
