Shame on the European Parliament: the Comission on International Trade adopts a report tainted by a blatant conflict of interest
[STRASBOURG, 10 DECEMBER 2018] –Today, in Strasbourg, the INTA committee of the European Parliament, responsible for international trade, has adopted the report presented by Mrs Lalonde for the extension of the agricultural agreement concluded between the European Union and Morocco to the Territory of Western Sahara.
Commenting on the vote, Mohamed Sidati, the EU Representative of Frente POLISARIO, stated ‘”In a shameful decision the European Parliament adopted a report whose author was forced to resign before its adoption due to blatant compromission and conflict of interest”
“The Frente POLISARIO deplores this vote which marks a step further in the will of European leaders to override the clear and precise terms of court decisions. While on all sides’ European leaders recall that Europe is based on the law and that respect for the law is the basis of democracy, it is still striking for the Frente POLISARIO, who has seized the European justice, to see these same politicians joining forces to circumvent the EU court decision.
PUSL.- The European Parliament’s International Trade Commission (INTA), which paid a visit from the 2nd to 5th of September , published its report in which it omitted data from the meetings held with the Saharawi associations in El Aaiun and did not mention the demonstration by the Saharawi population which took place during the visit and whose dispersion by the Moroccan occupation authorities resulted in several injured among the demonstrators.
PUSL interviewed the Vice-President of CODAPSO, Mr Hmad Hmad, on the recent visit on 4 September of the European Union delegation to the occupied territories of Western Sahara. The purpose of the visit was to “consult” the population on whether or not it benefited from the EU / Morocco agreements for the exploitation and marketing of natural products and natural resources of this non-autonomous territory occupied militarily since 1975 by Morocco. We recall that the Court of Justice of the European Union in two judgments found that Western Sahara is a separate and distinct territory from Morocco and can not be included in the agreements. A legal victory for the Polisario Front, the legitimate representative of the Saharawi people with international organizations and the UN.
PUSL.- This week, Fréderica Morgherini, EU High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security in her speech on the subject of fisheries and other EU agreements with the Kingdom of Morocco was very clear and reaffirmed that the ECJ judgments (Court of Justice of the European Union) have to be respected. Addressing MEP’s, heads of state and government around her, referring to the EU / Morocco fisheries agreements and the non-inclusion of Western Sahara.