published by the Peoples Press Printing Society

Source URL = http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/features/the_plight_of_a_forgotten_land
Originally published on Tuesday 02 June 2009

There is an issue that has not dominated the European elections in any way. It's one that involves the gross abuse of human rights and theft of natural resources - and the EU is directly responsible.

Western Sahara has been occupied by Morocco since the withdrawal of Spanish colonial forces in the 1970s.

Morocco was a French "dependency" until 1956. It freed itself from French colonialism in 1956, but never escaped its influence. Nineteen years later, as Franco's fascist dictatorship was in its death throes, Spain withdrew from the Western Sahara, leaving behind its phosphates, unexplored mineral wealth and sea full of fish.

In the heady days of the early 1970s, Morocco publicly supported independence for Western Sahara if its people wanted it and promised to abide by any referendum.

But these proved to be very hollow words.

In the wake of the Spanish withdrawal, Morocco and neighbouring Mauritania simply marched in and divided the land by force. King Hassan led the invasion and ordered settlers to move in from Morocco and the construction of a heavily mined sand wall across the territory.

The people of the Western Sahara, fighting under the banner of Polisario, were driven into exile in Algeria and forced into refugee camps near the border.

Mauritania withdrew its forces and its claim three years later but Morocco stayed.

"As a pro-Western ally on most global bodies, Morocco has been granted special trading status?

There is no doubt that Morocco acted illegally in 1975 and has done so ever since. No referendum has been held, despite years of efforts to agree an electoral roll based on the 1974 census and their descendants. The Moroccan position has always been that the settlers it moved in should also vote, which would effectively negate the wishes of the Saharawi people.

The majority of the Saharawi remain in refugee camps in Algeria, whose government distributes food and necessities provided by the UN, the EU and various other agencies including Britain.

Over 150,000 people are now trying to survive in the camps and endure summer temperatures of over 55 degrees Celsius. Young people study abroad and return with unusable skills, creating frustration and anger.

Former US secretary of state James Baker came closest to engineering an agreed solution when he produced the "Baker plan." It required Polisario to accept "autonomy" and the subsequent right of return with Morocco's compliance and that any referendum would be held 10 years later.

Polisario reluctantly accepted this at an extraordinary congress held in an old Spanish fort in the small "liberated" zone. But the plan was rejected by Morocco.

Now the issue has returned to the UN. The security council passed a resolution on April 30 ordering fresh talks. This time, US ex-diplomat Christopher Ross will be the intermediary hoping to agree direct discussions.

Meanwhile the EU continues to treat Morocco as a normal trading partner and refuses to even threaten sanctions.

Most European governments have played a duplicitous role. They may support the humanitarian needs of refugees, but they have put no real pressure on Morocco.

As a pro-Western ally on most global bodies, Morocco has been granted special trading status deal by EU despite a human rights clause which its occupation of Western Sahara breaches.

More recently the EU, to its shame, concluded a special agreement with Morocco for fishing rights that includes the waters off the Western Sahara. In doing so, it authorised the plunder of natural resources on a grand scale with no benefit at all to the Saharawi people.

Now Morocco is also exploiting the country's huge mineral deposits to the benefit of French and Spanish corporations.

South Africa's UN representative Baso Sangqu said on April 17: "The struggle of the people of the Western Sahara is a struggle for self determination and indeed is based on the principles of decolonisation, promotion of human rights, international legality and the stability and security of the African continent."

EU member states hungry to exploit the region's natural resources seem content to remain a partner in this crime.

Jeremy Corbyn is MP for Islington North and was a guest speaker last week at a conference on the future of the Western Sahara organised by the autonomous University of Madrid. No Trackbacks

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