Yearly Archives: 2013

Stephen Zunes : Obama Ignores Morocco’s Illegal Occupation and Human Rights Abuses

Foreign Policy in Focus (FPIF) 20 December 2013
Stephen Zunes
“The Obama’s administration’s policy on Western Sahara constitutes nothing less than a rejection of fundamental principles of international law.
In his meeting with King Mohammed VI, President Obama praised the “reform process” in Morocco even as the country maintains its abusive occupation of Western Sahara…..Late last month, President Barack Obama met with Morocco’s King Mohammed VI in Washington for their first face-to-face meeting. The result was a bitter disappointment for supporters of human rights and international law….(cont.)”

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Statement of the government of the Saharawi Republic in response to the 2013 Incitec Pivot Limited Sustainability Report 2013

20 December 2013

The government of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (the SADR) unreservedly rejects the statements made by the managing officers of Incitec Pivot Limited, an Australian publicly traded corporation, in its 2013 Sustainability Report.  Particular statements made in the Report about Western Sahara are factually wrong and incorrect as a matter of law.
Investors considering the Report should take note of significant flaws in that part which addresses the import of phosphate mineral rock illegally exported from occupied Western Sahara to Incitec Pivot Limited (IPL) in Australia. (See, notably, page 30.)

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Australian phosphate importer refuses to trade responsibly

Australian phosphate importer, Incitec Pivot, at its AGM on 19 December 2013, announced it had no plans to stop importing phosphate rock from Bou Craa mine in Western Sahara.

Unlike the two other Australian fertiliser firms, CSBP/Wesfarmers and Impact Fertilisers which have stopped using the conflict phosphate, Incitec Pivot continues “business as usual” saying it is not doing anything illegal, either in terms of UN embargos or in terms of Australian law.
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The EU is supporting a brutal military occupation in Western Sahara

By Tom Stevenson writes for Independent Voices
The Independent , Friday 13 December 2013

For 38 years the occupation of Western Sahara by Morocco has been largely ignored by the rest of the world. The reasons for this aren’t profound. It’s sparsely populated, difficult to get to, and not particularly strategically important. It is also one of the greatest moral failures in the international community’s modern history…..(cont.)

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President of African Parliament calls on EU to respect Sahara rights

Published: 04.12 – 2013
In a critical letter dated 1 December 2013, the president of the Pan-African Parliament calls on the European Parliament’s president, Mr. Martin Schulz, to vote against fisheries agreement with Morocco offshore the coast of the AU member state, Western Sahara.

Letter from president of the Pan-African Parliament>>

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Mr. Mohamed Abdelaziz, President of Republic attends Nelson Mandela memorial service

abdelazizobama.jpgTue, 12/10/2013
Johannesburg, Dec 10, 2013 (SPS) – The President of the Republic, Secretary General of the Frente Polisario Mr. Mohamed Abdelaziz has attended along with more than 100 world leaders the official memorial service, took place today morning at FNB Stadium (Soccer City) in Johannesburg, of the deceased South African leader Nelson Mandela.Read more >>

AWSA Press Release: ACMI, Tuesday 3 December – Melbourne screening of Javier Bardem’s ‘Sons of the Clouds’

image003.pngThe Australia Western Sahara Association (AWSA), 28/11/2013

PRESS RELEASE: Sons of the Clouds: the Last Colony – a documentary

Produced and narrated by Javier Bardem, written and directed by Alvaro Longoria
Stars Javier Bardem, Elena Anaya, Carlos Bardem
Melbourne’s only screening will be held on Tuesday 3 December at 7 p.m. as a collaboration between the Australia Western Sahara Association (AWSA) and Filmoteca at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) Continue reading →

Will Obama remind Morocco of its referendum duty?

RUDDY: A long-needed resolution to Western Sahara’s limbo
Frank Ruddy. The Washington Times, 20 November 2013
20 November : Morocco’s King Mohammed VI arrives in Washington this Thursday, and since he has made clear his interest in deepening the U.S.-Moroccan relationship, he will likely be received by President Obama. He will emphasize issues on which the United States and Morocco agree, but he should also be prepared to deal with issues on which his country and policies are squarely at odds with American values and interests.

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