3

January 2014

Western Sahara Review

Revista del Sahara Occidental

Western Sahara Review promotes the right of the Sahrawis to self-determination.

It is politically independent. Its objective is to provide a forum for analysis, debate and information about the Sahrawi struggle. Contributions will include topics in the spheres of political strategy and diplomacy, history, law, economics, and culture. Articles published in the review are the views of their authors, who may prefer to remain anonymous to readers but must identify themselves to the editors. They may be written in English, Spanish or rench. !nce accepted for publication, they will only be edited for style and clarification. The review will be published on an occasional basis. The intention is that the review"s content is original and does not repeat well #nown positions. It is not an academic publication $ although contributions from academics are welcomed $ but rather an attempt to provide readers with opinions and information with which to advance the cause of self%determination, a cause that is currently at an impasse. So, articles should be written in a style that is accessible to readers who are not e&pert in particular disciplines. 'roposals for articles for future editions of the review are welcomed, particularly from Sahrawis living under occupation, in the camps, or in e&ile elsewhere. Copyright for the articles and photographs used remains with the originators. The review is published on line free of charge to ma#e it accessible to as many people as possible. In return, readers are as#ed to publicise its e&istence to others to ensure that it is widely read and its articles widely discussed. The contact address for the review is( saharareview)gmail.com

In this edition
* The need for greater +, ownership of the -estern Sahara dispute * Carta abierta * -estern Sahara and 'alestine $ economic and legal strategies to end occupation * .a#ing music for freedom * /ou Craa $ a place of resonances

This issue of Western Sahara Review is dedicated to the memory of

Graham sher
!e was a "reat #ournalist and an honest friend of all $eo$le stru""lin" for #ustice%

The need for UN ownership of the Western Sahara dispute

Mathias Vaa is former Danish diplomat currently working for the non-profit diplomatic group Independent Diplomat, which advises the Polisario Front. his article is written in a personal capacity. This year 2014 will see the UN renew its efforts to mediate a solution to the dispute o er Western Sahara !etween "oro##o and the $olisario %ront. The conflict, however, is likely to remain unresolved unless the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and the UN Security Council are re ared to ut ressure on Morocco to seriously en!a!e in the mediation rocess and acce t the need to com romise" #or the ast $% years, a series the UN Secretary-General&s 'ersonal (nvoys have )een una)le to find a solution to a conflict that has lasted almost *% years" This has in lar!e art )een )ecause of Morocco&s insistence that the disuted +estern Sahara is an inaliena)le art of its territory and the reluctance of UN Secretaries-General and their re resentatives to insist on a formal ne!otiatin! framework that is firmly )ased on international law" To chan!e this, Ban-ki Moon and his current (nvoy, former US di lomat ,m)assador Christo her -oss, will need to )e re ared to indeendently drive forward the UN-led olitical rocess, uttin! forward concrete o tions that the arties will need to address and discuss in a round of formal ne!otiations" This will involve ersuadin! the Moroccan kin! that a sustaina)le solution to the dis ute must )e )ased on res ectin! the indi!enous o ulation&s ri!ht to self-determination" To understand why, it is necessary to take a historical look at the ori!in of the conflict and see how efforts to end it have evolved" .n doin! so, it )ecomes clear that the olitical and le!al framework for addressin! the undetermined status of theTerritory of +estern Sahara has consistently )een )ased on the near-universal reco!nition of the Sahrawi eo le&s fundamental ri!ht to self-determination"

,ny future a roach that ne!lects this )asic fact runs the risk of romotin! a solution that will not endure and would )e contrary to international law" -es ect for meanin!ful self-determination must remain aramount as the UN seeks to reconcile the conflictin! ositions of 'olisario and the Kin!dom of Morocco" The histori#al !asis of self-determination +hen S ain announced its unilateral withdrawal from the Territory of +estern Sahara in $/01, few would have redicted that it would have caused a conflict that has ersisted to this day" ,t the time, +estern Sahara was listed as a Non-Self Governin! Territory 2NSGT3 on the UN&s list of countries that had the ri!ht to under!o decolonisation" .n $/41, the UN General ,ssem)ly re5uested that S ain 6 +estern Sahara&s then colonial master 6 or!anise a referendum under UN su ervision in order to res ect the Sahrawi eo le&s ri!ht to self-determination and let them decide on their future" ,s the officially desi!nated 7administerin! ower8 of the Territory, S ain announced in $/0* that it would arran!e a referendum" But this romise was i!nored in the followin! year as the death of #ranco forced S ain to look inwards and i!nore its res onsi)ility to finalise the decoloni9ation rocess" .nstead, in :cto)er $/01, S anish troo s allowed Moroccan forces to invade +estern Sahara, followed )y a hu!e influ; of Moroccan civilians who hel ed consolidate the occu ation of the Territory" .n #e)ruary $/04, S ain officially withdrew from +estern Sahara while Morocco claimed soverei!nty over the Territory - a claim that no country has reco!nised to this day" <avin! asserted its ri!ht to +estern Sahara since its own inde endence in $/14, Morocco asserted that it was sim ly reclaimin! land that had )een a natural art of Morocco rior to its own colonisation" This view was re=ected in a rulin! )y the .nternational Court of >ustice 2.C>3 in :cto)er $/01" .n its o inion, the .C> clearly stated that Morocco had no claim of territorial soverei!nty over +estern Sahara and instead reaffirmed 7the rinci le of self-determination throu!h the free and !enuine e; ression of the will of the eo les of the Territory"8

No chan!es have taken lace in the ensuin! ?@ years to chan!e the le!al validity of that o inion or the Sahrawi eo le&s continued )asic ri!ht to self-determination" The Moroccan invasion and attem ted anne;ation of +estern Sahara resulted in a $4 year armed conflict with 'olisario, the olitical and armed re resentatives of the Sahrawi eo le" .n the ensuin! ceasefire a!reement in $//$, )rokered )y the UN, )oth Morocco and the 'olisario a!reed to the 7Settlement 'lan8, which included the holdin! of a referendum to resolve the dis uted status of +estern Sahara" The UN Security Council unanimously endorsed the 7Settlement 'lan8 in -esolution 4/%" Conse5uently, the Security Council set u a UN eacekee in! Mission whose rimary ur ose was to oversee a referendum within si; months of its ince tion" This mandate was reflected in its official titleA Mission for the -eferendum in +estern Sahara 2Minurso3" Bes ite the collective a!reement on holdin! a referendum and the creation of Minurso, this referendum was never held" Throu!hout the $//%s, disa!reements arose over the com osition of the voter-records that would form the )asis of a vote" Morocco insisted on allowin! voters )ein! re!istered who had moved to the Territory followin! its invasion in $/01 while 'olisario insisted that the re!istry )e )ased on a census conducted )y S ain in $/0*, somethin! that Morocco had also reviously acce ted" +hile the UN Mission attem ted to reach a com romise, Morocco sou!ht to a eal the voter-lists that had )een com iled )y the UN .dentification Commission" The recently a ointed 'ersonal (nvoy of the Secretary-General, former US secretary of state >ames Baker, convened Morocco and 'olisario in $//0 in <ouston to seek a!reement to move ahead with the vote, )ut failed to achieve a )reakthrou!h" .n #e)ruary C%%%, after the UN had u)lished its Cnd round of rovisional voter lists, $?$,%%% a eals were lod!ed a!ainst the results" Most of these came from Morocco, which ended u causin! the sus ension of the activities of the UN voter .dentification Committee" 1

This was not an inevita)le outcome as the terms of the mandate of Minurso and the re resentative of the Secretary-General at the time - as laid out in the Settlement 'lan and UN Security Council -esolution 4/% - !ave the UN the authority to unilaterally decide u on the final voter-lists" But this was a decision it was unre ared to take" .nstead, the UN SecretaryGeneral decided to o en a se arate olitical track and mediate direct talks )etween the arties to reach a ne!otiated solution to the conflict" What to e&pe#t from the UN-led pro#ess' #or the ast $% years, and C? years after Minurso was created, this UN-led rocess has roduced very limited results, in lar!e art )ecause the Secretary-General and the Security Council have )een reluctant to ado t a more direct role in resolvin! the conflict" .n the comin! year, unless the Secretary-General&s current 'ersonal (nvoy Christo her -oss ado ts a more am)itious and en!a!ed a roach with stron!er su ort from the Security Council and UN Mem)er States alike, di lomacy on +estern Sahara is set to remain !ridlocked and the status 5uo of Moroccan occu ation will revail" .n the ne;t hase of di lomacy on +estern Sahara, the UN should )e informed )y the efforts of the first 'ersonal (nvoy, >ames Baker, and )e re ared to resent its own vision for a com romise should its current a roach of sim ly )rin!in! the arties to!ether fail to deliver any meanin!ful outcomes" .n C%%?, >ames Baker, resented a revised lan to the arties, callin! for a two-sta!e solution to the conflict"A a five-year eriod of autonomy for +estern Sahara, followed )y a referendum amon! the Territory&s inha)itants" Many deemed this a constructive and worka)le comromise that was the )est attem t at reconcilin! the arties& very different ositions" ,s a result, the ro osal was unanimously su orted )y the mem)ers of the UN Security Council and acce ted )y 'olisario" But it was re=ected )y Morocco, in lar!e art )ecause it feared that the ro osal on voter re!istration would favour those who sou!ht inde endence"

:nce a!ain, as had )een the case in C%%%, the Secretary-General and, in this case, the Security Council in articular did not assert their authority and im ose a solution on Morocco, which they had the authority to do" .nstead, they allowed the Kin!dom to e;ercise a de facto veto and define the mediation rocess in terms that were su ortive of it continuin! its anne;ation of +estern Sahara" .n so doin!, only li -service was aid to the rinci le of self-determination, and the )asic framework of the Settlement 'lan 6 which remains valid to this day 6 was i!nored" Ne!otiations )etween the arties were not resumed until C%%@" .n the recedin! year, Morocco and 'olisario ut forward their se arate ro osals to the Security Council on how to resolve the conflict" These )ecame the new )asis for en!a!in! in direct talks" +hile Morocco&s autonomy lan insisted on the inclusion of +estern Sahara as a art of the Kin!dom with limited devolved owers, 'olisario continued to affirm the fundamental ri!ht to self-determination throu!h the holdin! of a referendum" No ro!ress was made in reconcilin! the two o osin! views and for the ast five years, -oss has )een una)le to )reak the deadlock" :n assumin! office in >anuary C%%/, -oss initially continued the work of his redecessor and sou!ht to en!a!e the arties in formal talks" ,fter -oss )e!an to ursue a more fle;i)le a roach of informal talks, Morocco suddenly u)licly called for his removal in May C%$C in res onse to a re ort )y the SecretaryGeneral that descri)ed Moroccan human ri!hts a)uses in the Territory with un recedented and sur risin! frankness" ,lthou!h confidence was restored in -oss in ,u!ust C%$C, followin! interventions )y the US and UK, as well as the UN Secretary-General, his di lomatic momentum was disru ted and his rimary focus )ecame restorin! his relationshi with the Moroccan kin! and re!ainin! the trust of senior Moroccan officials" .n his latest attem t to move talks forward 6 and some sus ect to avoid ado tin! a confrontational a roach that could rei!nite Morocco&s ire - -oss announced at the end of C%$C his in2

tention to em)ark on shuttle di lomacy, an o en-ended rocess where he would en!a!e in a series of se arate di lomatic encounters with the arties" This would re5uire him to meet inde endently with the Moroccan kin! and the 'olisario leadershi to solicit their views and determine whether there was willin!ness to com romise" Should that willin!ness )e a)sent amon! the arties, some have su!!ested that -oss would sus end his mediation efforts and return to the Security Council to ask for direct !uidance to resolve the conflict" The (iplomati# )utloo* for 2014 .t is widely e; ected that Christo her -oss will travel to the re!ion early this year to meet with the Moroccan kin! and the Secretary-General of 'olisario, kickin! off this shuttle di lomacy" .t is unclear whether another series of meetin!s will )e held )efore the UN Security Council meets in , ril for the annual renewal of Minurso&s mandate, or how many meetin!s -oss will seek to hold )efore announcin! his assessment of the arties& readiness to seriously en!a!e in talks where middle !round can )e found" -e!ardless of how lon! this rocess is allowed to take, shuttle di lomacy is unlikely to make ro!ress" #undamentally, Morocco has few incentives to chan!e its current osition, which ena)les it to consolidate its control over +estern Sahara" ,lthou!h no country reco!nises its claim to +estern Sahara, neither the mem)ers of the Security Council nor any individual countries have to date shown that they are ready to ut ressure on Morocco to chan!e its osition and to achieve a com romise solution in accordance with international law and res ectin! the Sahrawis ri!ht to self-determination" #or 'olisario - which already com romised in acce tin! autonomy in an interim eriod with the su)se5uent !uarantee of the holdin! of a referendum, as outlined )y the Baker 'lan - it is unclear what additional and credi)le comromises it can )e asked to make" .f the UN Secretary-General is serious a)out endin! the conflict and makin! ro!ress

throu!h talks, his 'ersonal (nvoy must show that the UN is re ared to take more ownershi of the olitical rocess and not sim ly leave the rocess to the arties, which is a reci e for maintainin! the status 5uo" Should the initial eriod of shuttle di lomacy )e inconclusive, the 'ersonal (nvoy should convene direct ne!otiations )etween the arties" These ne!otiations should )e )ased on an indeendent ro osal that is consistent with e;istin! UN Security Council resolutions and international law, and rovides for the self-determination of the Sahrawi eo le" Under his current mandate, the 'ersonal (nvoy of the Secretary-General has the authority to do =ust that" (ven if such a ro osal is ultimately re=ected )y either of arty, it would offer somethin! concrete )y which talks can )e measured" Should Morocco refuse to discuss any ro osals )eyond its autonomy lan, it will )e clear to the international community and Security Council alike that it is not credi)ly committed to talks" Ultimately, the Secretary-General would have to confront this intransi!ence and ut forward a recommendation for solvin! the conflict that the mem)ers of the Security Council would have to consider ado tin! and enforcin!" Merely continuin! an o en-ended rocess without a defined !oal stren!thens the osition of Morocco and allows it to dis!uise its own satisfaction with the status-5uo without havin! to ay any olitical rice for )ein! seen to o)struct ro!ress" This would sim ly serve to er etuate the conflict and further undermine the credi)ility of the UN, while the trust of the arties and their eo le would continue to wane in the a)sence of any tan!i)le and meanin!ful results"

+arta a!ierta
!rahim "oumria,presidente de la #D$ %&' ,a )rgani-a#i.n de (efensores Saharauis 2/ 0enera#i.n sigue #on mu#ha preo#upa#i.n el deterioro de los dere#hos humanos en los territorios o#upados del Sahara )##idental . D ese la !ran cantidad de los informes ela)orados or :NG internacionales 5ue revelan esta situaciEn critica en la cual viven los saharauis en la 9ona ocu ada or Marruecos del Sahara :ccidental, la :NU aun no udo e;tender el mandato de la Minurso ara 5ue odrF incluir la o)servaciEn de los derechos humanos en su misiEn " Marruecos de su arte no 5uiso a render un )uen e=ercicio des uGs del royecto 5ue fue resentado or los (stados Unidos ante el Conse=o de Se!uridad en el aHo C%$?I tam oco 5uiso a rovechar la o ortunidad 5ue tuvo del mismo conse=o al no o tar or ese royecto en esa fecha " Se 5uedo muy claro ara nuestra :NG 5ue el rG!imen en Marruecos se )urla de la comunidad internacional y cuenta or el a oyo de sus aliados 5ue le ermitiE estarse mas de tres dGcadas im une" D en lu!ar de hacer al!unas me=oras so)re sus actuaciones a!resivas contra las manifestaciones acificas de los saharauis en las ciudades ocu adas del Sahara :ccidental y los =uicios sumarios contra resos de conciencia , comen9E con la a licaciEn de los traslados a)usivos de intelectuales saharauis )a=o distintos rete;tos inconvenci)les " (sta olJtica de vaciar el territorio del Sahara :ccidental de sus ha)itantes autEctonos tuvo sus rimeras sJntomas en los aHos $/01-$/0@, cuando Marruecos invadiE el territorio de la e; colonia es aHola" Kas desa ariciones y los secuestros de miles de ersonas y la li5uidaciEn de centenares , entre los 5ue fueron enterrados vivos en fosas comunes , los 5ue murieron )a=o tortura o mal trato en los centros secretos de detencion y los 5ue fueron )om)ardeados or el na alm y el fosforo )lanco, son el testi!o 5ue Marruecos mismo no 4

uede desmentir a causa de las rue)as claras, los testimonios vivos y las huellas 5ue de=aron sus oficiales en los lenos desiertos del Sahara :ccidental, 5ue acusan al reino de Marruecos or cometer crJmenes de lesa humanidad contra el ue)lo saharaui" Mas a todo esto, los res onsa)les en Marruecos intentaron en mLlti les ocasiones a licar al!unos mGtodos de olJtica 5ue tiene como fin vaciar el territorio no autEnomo de sus ha)itante ori!inales" (n el $% de =ulio de $/@@ mas de 0%%% saharauis, todos eran en su mayorJa alumnos en los cole!ios de las ciudades ocu adas, fueron trasladados hacia el interior de Marruecos y nom)rados funcionarios" Marruecos con su cam aHa mediFtica intento convencer a la comunidad internacional 5ue solo se trata)a de una decisiEn 5ue muestra el )uen trato 5ue reci)Jan los saharauis or arte del (stado de MarruecosI mientras 5ue el o)=etivo no era mas 5ue el ale=ar a los saharauis de su territorio natal des uGs de la visita de una comisiEn tGcnica de la :NU a la ciudad ocu ada ,aiun en el C% de noviem)re de $/@0" Burante esta visita los saharauis intentaron or!ani9ar manifestaciones ara reivindicar su derecho en auto determinarse" Kas autoridades de Marruecos detuvieron mas de *%% ersonas saharauis, mas de *% ersonas de este !ru o no fueron li)erados hasta el C% de =unio de $//$" , causa de esta decisiEn del (stado de Marruecos miles de =Evenes saharauis a)andonaron el estudio y erdieron su futuro y actualmente viven en ro)lemas econEmicas a causa de sus sueldos )a=os 5ue no les )astan ara mantener sus familias" (ste fenEmeno de las decisiones a)usivas se re etirF osteriormente en el aHo C%%% des uGs de las manifestaciones de se tiem)re de $///" Bonde mas de 4%% licenciados fueron nom)rados funcionarios en distintas ciudades en el interior de Marruecos" Kue!o en el aHo C%$% y C%$$ des uGs del desmantelamiento a!resivo del cam amento de Gdeym .9ik, donde mas de 1%% intelectuales entre licenciados y catedrFticos saharauis fueron nom)rados funcionarios en distintos sectores en el interior de Marruecos, mientras 5ue en

las ciudades saharauis solo se nom)ran marro5uJes " ,ctualmente se encuentran centenares de intelectuales saharauis 5ue e=ercen su tra)a=o como funcionarios en distintos sectores en el interior de Marruecos" Todos sufren de esta situaciEn a la cual fueron sometidos a causa del deterioro econEmico de sus familia en los territorios ocu ados del Sahara :ccidental " Todos estFn re artidos de una forma 5ue de=a muy claro ara cual5uiera 5ue el (stado de Marruecos evita hasta su a!ru aciEn en las ciudades marro5uJes" Si en el Ministerio del .nterior, or e=em lo, nom)ro mas de $1? saharauis de los dos se;os, casi raras veces encontramos dos saharauis en la misma ciudad" Ko mismo sucede con los saharauis en el Ministerio de #inan9as 5ue alcan9an unos *$ saharaui, y tam)iGn con los 5ue estFn en el Ministerio de la (nseHan9a" (stos !ru os nom)raron un comitG ara defender sus derechos en volver a las ciudades ocu adas del Sahara :ccidental " 'ero las autoridades de Marruecos comen9aron e=ercer resiones contra los miem)ros de dicho comitG " ,ctualmente cinco de ellos erdieron el sueldo mensual or ordenes su remas en el !o)ierno de Marruecos" (n se tiem)re de C%$? vino la decisiEn mas fatal y mas racista, cuando el Ministerio de #inan9as traslado de forma a)usiva el funcionario saharaui Taye) Sayad desde la ciudad ocu ada de ,aiun hacia la ciudad de -a)at en Marruecos" Cuando este saharaui Taye) Sayad a)dico de su car!o como res onsa)le y idiE del Ministerio de #inan9as 5ue le de=en como sim le funcionario en la ciudad de ,aiun ara 5ue odrF estarse cerca de su familia, un alto car!o del mismo ministerio, se trata del Tesorero General del -eino, cancelo el sueldo mensual del funcionario saharaui sin nin!Ln rete;to =urJdico " , causa de esta decisiEn se hicieron muchos actos de condena or arte de la sociedad civil tanto saharaui como marro5uJ" (l dia ?$ de noviem)re de C%$? se or!ani9o una manifestaciEn solidaria con el funcionario saharaui Taye) Sayad frente la sede del 5

Ministerio de #inan9as en ,aiun" (n esta manifestaciEn artici aron dos filiales de los sindicatos en Marruecos CBT y UMT mas una !ran cantidad de militantes de la sociedad civil saharauis y marro5uJes" Kue!o a areciE el caso de esta familia en tres F!inas del #ace)ook y una !ran cantidad de la rensa marro5uJ" Todos condenan la decisiEn a)usiva del Ministerio de #inan9as" 'ero el acto mas sensi)le 5ue se hi9o hasta ahora y el cual nos o)li!o ara redactar esta carta, es el de su hi=a #atma Sayad, nacida en el * de se tiem)re de $//0 en ,aiun, Sahara :ccidental" (s alumna en un cole!io de ,aiun ocu ado , cursa en CM Bachillerato" Cuando vio las ve=aciones 5ue sufre su adre a causa de las resiones de los altos car!os del Ministerio de #inan9as, y como su edad y sus medios no le ermiten restar ayuda de cual5uier modo a su adre, decidiE sacrificarle con su futuro" ,sJ, tomo la decisiEn de a)andonar el estudio, y mediante un comunicado 5ue fue u)licado y enviado a distintas :NG ase!uro 5ue su decisiEn es definitiva hasta 5ue el !o)ierno en Marruecos ratifi5ue sus errores y on!a fin a las resiones 5ue se e=ercen contra su adre Taye) Sayad" (l hecho de 5ue una alumna saharaui a)andone sus estudios ara rotestar contra ciertas violaciones del (stado de Marruecos or no tener otros medios ara rote!erse de las re resarJas de su adversario, ara nosotros como defensores de derechos humanos en esta 9ona, es el echo mas temi)le 5ue odemos es erar como res uesta de las vJctimas de las violaciones contra las autoridades de Marruecos en los territorios ocu ados del Sahara :ccidental" Como es sa)ido, 5ue los menores siem re inter retan los hechos sin anali9ar el fin de cada acto" D en caso no darnos im ortancia a este modo de rotestas, tememos 5ue en el futuro, el movimiento =uvenil saharaui en los territorios ocu ados del Sahara :ccidental, lo toman como forma de rotesta contra las violaciones de derechos humanos en la 9ona, o como forma de reivindicar el derecho de autodeterminaciEn del ue)lo saharaui" D asi aca)amos en una !eneraciEn sin estudios" Mas

5ue eso, ara nosotros, el a)andono del estudio es una forma o e; resiEn muy clara de la deses eran9a" (sta, a su ve9, es la 5ue lleva al suicidio" Cosa 5ue todo el mundo intenta evitar en el conflicto del Sahara :ccidental" ,Hadiendo a todo lo citado anteriormente, y en el momento 5ue el 'arlamento (uro eo trata el tema de los tratados de la esca en el )anco sahariano, 5ue coincidiE con el dJa de la cele)raciEn de la BeclaraciEn Universal de los Berechos <umanos, el $% de diciem)re, los cuer os de se!uridad y centenares de las #uer9as ,u;iliares re rimen a los ciudadanos saharauis indefensos en la ciudad ocu ada de ,aiun, solo a causa de manifestarse acJficamente" (n estas manifestaciones artici aron e;tran=eros 5ue lle!aron al territorios dJas antes como o)servadores internacionales" Kos cuer os de se!uridad y las #uer9as ,rmadas intervinieron )rutalmente contra todos los saharauis y e;tran=eros, lo cual, causo decenas de lesionados de los manifestantes entre los cuales ha)Ja cuatro es aHoles" (ste hecho o)li!o a nuestra :NG ara 5ue alerta mediante esta carta a)ierta a la o iniEn u)lica y la comunidad internacional ara aumentar su resiEn contra el (stado de Marruecos hasta 5ue on!a fin a estas clases de las violaciones de derechos humanos, 5ue en realidad odrFn afectar a la o)laciEn saharaui lo mismo 5ue le afectaron las otras clases de violaciones de derechos humanos 5ue fueron cometidas desde el comien9o de la ane;iEn del territorio del Sahara :ccidental" ,demFs, el !o)ierno (s aHol de)e sa)er 5ue su res onsa)ilidad histErica en todo lo 5ue esta sucediendo en el Sahara :ccidental, le o)li!a moralmente, sean como sean los )ienes 5ue im iden su intervenciEn, 5ue acelera la soluciEn del conflicto hacia la a licaciEn y el res eto total de la le!alidad internacionalI y de=e de ocultarse en la som)ra, erdiendo asJ las relaciones histEricas y amistosas 5ue im lantaron las !eneraciones de los dos ue)los durante las dGcadas del colonialismo" Mientras 5ue los (stados Unidos, si hu)ieran dado, or la )uena fe, una !ran o ortunidad al reino de Marruecos cuando ace taron retirar el 6

royecto resentado delante del Conse=o de Se!uridad ara e;tender el mandato de la Minurso, de)en ase!urarse 5ue Marruecos no tiene voluntad al!una ara res etar los derechos humanos de los saharauis en los territorios ocu ados del Sahara :ccidental" D ara el, el ser humano saharaui se encuentra en el final de la lista de sus rioridades en este territorioI y solo !racias a la resiEn internacional y la e;istencia del #rente 'olisario, sino fuera or estos, los saharauis no estarJan ni si5uiera en ese final de la lista de las rioridades " ,sJ , es eramos de los ((UU 5ue resione mas ara 5ue la Minurso odrF e=ercer el a el de o)servador de Berechos <umanos en el territorio del Sahara :ccidental hasta 5ue se cele)re el referGndum de autodeterminaciEn" Mientras tanto, las :NG internacionales, a arte de los informes 5ue se ela)oran so)re la situaciEn de los Berechos <umanos en el territorio no autEnomo del Sahara :ccidental, de)en de multi licar las visitas de sus dele!aciones 5ue visitan el territorio ocu ado or Marruecos, lo cual les harF )ien informados so)re las violaciones 5ue comete Marruecos de forma ro!resiva" MFs 5ue eso, no de=aran 5ue Marruecos este le=os de la vista de la o iniEn u)lica internacional" (sto le ermite cometer crJmenes sin 5ue ha)rF testi!os o testimonios 5ue odrFn servir ara sensi)ili9ar la Comunidad .nternacional contra sus atrocidades y crJmenes contra la o)laciEn saharaui indefensa" D or Lltimo, el 'arlameto (uro eo, de)e sa)er 5ue los tratados ile!ales de esca con Marruecos, son un !ran estimulo ara el rG!imen de Marruecos ara se!uir a lastando de modo infrahumano a los saharauis en los territorios ocu ados del Sahara :ccidental" (l dinero ofrecido a cam)io del e; olio ile!al de nuestros recursos naturales se diri!e hacia el interior de Marruecos, mientras 5ue la o)laciEn autEctona del Sahara :ccidental si!ue sufriendo el aro y la mar!inaciEn" 'or lo 5ue si!nifica ara nosotros en el :BS CG, 5ue todo tratado firmado con la otencia invasora en este territorio no seria mas 5ue un ro)o a los recursos naturales de un territorio

no autEnomo" ,demFs el 'arlamento (uro eo, en este sentido, incentiva al !o)ierno de Marruecos ara se!uir cometiendo mas violaciones de derechos humanos contra los saharauis" Ko cual le aHade a la lista de los cEm lices en las violaciones 5ue comete Marruecos en los territorios ocu ados del Sahara :ccidental"

78

Western Sahara and $alestine e#onomi# and legal strategies to end o##upation
( long time campaigner on )estern $ahara and Palestine looks at the some of the opportunities presented *y international and +, legal frameworks challenging colonial e-ploitation of the produce of occupied territories. Some years ago1 I spent the day with a #ouple of 2uropean supermar*et managers1 loo*ing at how to sour#e from $alestinian farmers in the West 3an*. :ne mana!er asked me a)out sourcin! from Morocco )ecause of its occu ation of +estern Sahara" . was sur rised that they had even heard a)out +estern Sahara, let alone know there were issues with sourcin! from the territory" S ecifically they were concerned a)out )uyin! fish" The fact is that comanies do fear re utational and le!al dama!e they could face from )ein! involved in, or associated with, ille!ality, dama!e that could affect their rofits" The le!al issues around the urchase of roduce of occu ied territories are com le;" There are relevant national laws, (uro ean law and international laws across a ran!e of issues from consumer rotection, ta;, charity law and the duty of non-reco!nition" Their interaction and a lica)ility are )ewilderin! )ut strate!ies that e; loit them can make a owerful contri)ution to endin! the occu ation of +estern Sahara and 'alestine" .t is worth )earin! in mind that the com le;ity is not only )ewilderin! to cam ai!ners" Sometimes officials in Brussels or in (uro ean ca itals admit they too are unaware of the (U or international laws )y which they must a)ide" .ndeed, sim ly rovidin! information has directly led to olicy and le!al chan!es that has cost .sraeli settlers dear" The efforts of a sin!le, determined 'alestinian activist were lar!ely res onsi)le for forcin! the (U to comletely chan!e the ta; re!ime a lied to roduce from .sraeli settlements, )y ointin! out inconsistencies )etween (U ractice and international law"

, ro)lem faced )y +estern Sahara cam ai!ners is that !overnments and institutions are reticent a)out declarin! their inter retation of the le!al osition, or they re are different le!al o inions to facilitate s ecific actions" ,nd, of course, some areas of international law are not thorou!hly tested and lawyers may rovide contrary o inions" Unfortunately, des ite similar le!al conte;ts, there has )een very little sharin! of information )etween 'alestine and +estern Sahara activists, even thou!h di lomats often work on )oth conte;ts and the .sraeli !overnment and commentators have ointed to the lack of action )y the (U on +estern Sahara as com ared to the scrutiny now a lied to the roduce of .sraeli settlements" 'olisario and those cam ai!nin! for +estern Sahara self-determination have made im ortant advances in definin! the le!al status of commodities e;tracted from occu ied territories" Most im ortantly, 'olisario secured a !round-)reakin! le!al o inion in C%%C from the UN Under-Secretary-General <ans Correll on the le!ality of e; loitin! the oil resourcin! off the +estern Saharan coast" Then there was the work of +estern Sahara -esource +atch, alon! with sym athetic mem)ers of the (uro ean 'arliament, that ori!inally defeated an (U-Morocco #isheries 'artnershi a!reement )ecause it included +estern Saharan waters" ,s an aside, cam ai!nin! e; erience shows that the u)lic, activists, even di lomats, tend to )e more outra!ed )y the )ehaviour of comanies than they often are a)out the actions of their own !overnments" Cam ai!nin! for economic sanctions )y a !overnment, !uidelines from !overnment or even chan!es in re!ulations or laws )annin! trade, may ultimately have far more im act than ressurisin! one or two com anies to sto )uyin! hos hate from Bou Craa or fish from 'ort Kayoune" But a camai!n tar!etin! !overnments !enerates =ust a fraction of the media interest or assion from individuals willin! to write to their arliamentarians" So what can )e achievedN 'alestine activists have lon! )een cam ai!nin! for the (U to in-

77

troduce la)ellin! !uidelines on ve!eta)les and her)s from ille!al .sraeli settlements" .dentifyin! a roduct as comin! from an O.sraeli settlement& will not )rin! an end to the occu ation of the +est Bank and (ast >erusalem )ut the camai!n has !enerated thousands of media stories a)out the occu ation and forced the .sraeli u)lic to e;amine the ille!ality of their !overnment&s actions" More concretely, the (uro ean Commission has issued new !uidelines to ensure it no lon!er rovides u)lic funds to .sraeli settlements" Norway has sto ed its !overnment ension fund from investin! in .sraeli settlements 2and also +estern Sahara3" <ow much further can this )e takenN +ell, what if (uro ean !overnments were advised )y their lawyers to ensure state-funded )anks and ension funds do not invest in .sraeli settlements or the Moroccan occu ation, or in .sraeli or Moroccan institutions that finance occu ationN :nce this ha ens, consciousness-raisin! camai!nin! and in rick em)arrassment to the colonial states is transformed into serious economic harm" Too much to ho e forN May)e not" Think )ack to what . said a)out com anies fearin! re utational dama!e" .n >anuary this year, the Financial imes re orted that, after e;amination of the terms of the *th Geneva Convention, a num)er of (uro ean financial institutions are reviewin! their investments in .sraeli institutions involved in settlements" ,mon! the (uro ean institutions named were Butch u)lic sector ension fund ,B', Nordic )ank Nordea, and NorwayPs lar!est rivate )ank BNB" So, what are the areas of le!al contest in which cam ai!ners can en!a!e with !overnments and com aniesN Non-self go erning status and o##upation +estern Sahara is a non-self-!overnin! territory" This was esta)lished )y the .nternational Court of >ustice and is re eated in UN Security Council and General ,ssem)ly resolutions" This status means that the occu yin! !overnment has certain res onsi)ilities in administerin! the territory and towards other states"

These include economic res onsi)ilities" ,s the Correll o inion ut itA ./esolutions of the 'eneral (ssem*ly adopted under the agenda item entitled 0Implementation of the Declaration on the 'ranting of Independence to 1olonial 1ountries and Peoples0 called upon the administering Powers to ensure that all economic activities in the "on-$elf-'overning erritories under their administration did not adversely affect the interests of the peoples of such erritories, *ut were instead directed towards assisting them in the e-ercise of their right to self-determination. he (ssem*ly also consistently urged the administering Powers to safeguard and guarantee the inaliena*le rights of the peoples of those erritories to their natural resources, and to esta*lish and maintain control over the future development of those resources.2 :ccu ation is defined under a )ranch of international law known as international humanitarian law" Under ,rticle *C of the <a!ue -e!ulationsA. erritory is considered occupied when it is actually placed under the authority of the hostile army. he occupation e-tends only to the territory where such authority has *een esta*lished and can *e e-ercised.2 The UN, the (U and its mem)er states all say that .srael is occu yin! the +est Bank, includin! (ast >erusalem, and Ga9a" +hen it comes to +estern Sahara they are silent" ,s activists, we all write 7+estern Sahara was occu ied )y Morocco in $/01"""8 .ndeed, the UK !overnment continues to a ly the term Ooccu ied& to +estern Sahara in its official documents such as 'uide to Doing !usiness in Morocco" There is no eitherQor in denotin! a territory to non-self !overnin! or occu ied" Nami)ia 2then South +est ,frica3 was reco!nised )y the UN as )oth an occu ied and non-self-!overnin! territory at the same time" So, there is sco e for ushin! (U 2and other3 !overnments and institutions to formally reco!nise the +estern Sahara as occu ied" That said, !overnments such as that of the UK with their own colonial remnants across the !lo)e may )e wary of declarations that could )ackfire on them"

79

>ust as with non-self-!overnin! territories, Ooccu yin! owers& like .srael or, in this case, Morocco, have le!al res onsi)ilities towards the inha)itants of a territory under occu ation" These can )e found on the data)ase of the .nternational Committee of the -ed Cross, which contains introductions and all le!al te;ts and a customary data)ase of international humanitarian law" But international law, includin! the international humanitarian )ranch, also sets out ri!hts and res onsi)ilities for uninvolved states and, more recently, even individuals" The -ome Statute and .nternational Criminal Court have made headlines for rosecutin! individuals for O!rave )reaches& of international humanitarian law, commonly referred to as war crimes, which are set out under the Geneva Conventions" These laws have )een incor orated into domestic law in most states that have si!ned the treaty" 3rea#hes of 4peremptory norms4 .n recent decades, there has )een increasin! reco!nition )y states that they have res onsi)ility to act in a certain way towards other states that are directly committin! serious )reaches of O erem tory norms& of international law" These res onsi)ilities have )een defined )y the .nternational Court of >ustice in the Nami)ia and +all in the :ccu ied 'alestinian Territory cases, throu!h UN Security Council resolutions, the .nternational Kaw Commission ,rticles on State -es onsi)ility, and the ractice of states themselves" They include o)li!ations not to not to reco!nise, aid or assist other states in serious )reaches of international law, )oth international humanitarian and human ri!hts law" States defined these erem tory normsA .as the prohi*ition of aggression, the illegal use of force, the prohi*itions against slavery and the slave trade, genocide and racial discrimination and apartheid, the prohi*ition against torture, the *asic rules of international humanitarian law and the right of self-determination, the prohi*ition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and crimes against humanity, the prohi*i-

tion of piracy, and the principle of permanent sovereignty over natural resources.12 (uty of non-re#ognition The ne;t area of law relevant to cam ai!ners is the Pduty of non-reco!nitionP" .n the case of Nami)ia, the .nternational Court of >ustice determined that states must not enter into treaty relations with South ,frica, which was occu yin! the territory, or enter into economic relations with South ,frica that would entrench its hold on the territory, and must refrain from di lomatic or consular relations that would im ly reco!nition of the territory" There have )een a num)er of domestic UK court cases around the duty of non-reco!nition" Most recently, the <i!h Court was asked to rule whether the UK !overnment must allow a Turkish airline in Northern Cy rus to fly directly to the UK" The UK does not reco!nise Turkish soverei!nty over Northern Cy rus and so the court ruled a!ainst the airline )ecause to do otherwise would im ly reco!nition of Turkish soverei!nty" .t set out more clearly how the UK !overnment must a ly the duty of nonreco!nition" The UK Su reme Court u held this rulin!" .n a recent le!al o inion, o)tained )y the Trades Union Con!ress, the eminent international =urist and )arrister 'rofessor >ames Crawford, considered whether UK treaty relations with .srael com lied with its o)li!ation not to reco!nise the .sraeli occu ation of (ast >erusalem, +est Bank and Ga9a" , similar review could )e carried out for +estern Sahara with otentially ainful conse5uences for Morocco" The (U has )een la; in its a lication of international law and it has )een forced to alter its economic treaties with .srael on a num)er of
1
$tefan almon, he Duty "ot to 3/ecogni4e as 5awful6 a $ituation reated *y the Illegal ,se of Force or #ther $erious !reaches of a 7us 1ogens #*ligation8(n #*ligation without /eal $u*stance9, in :+ F,"D(M+" (5 /,5+$ #F :+ I" +/"( I#"(5 5+'(5 #/D+/. 7,$ 1#'+"$ ("D #!5I'( I#"$ +/'( #M"+$, omuschat ; 7ean-Marc houvenin, eds., Martinus "i<hoff, %==>, #-ford 5egal $tudies /esearch Paper "o. ?@A%==B

70

occasions )ecause it )elatedly reco!nised it was )reachin! the duty of non-reco!nition" #irst, the (U was allowin! .sraeli com anies and im orters to !ain e;em tion from customs ta;es )ecause it a lied the (U-.srael ,ssociation ,!reement to .sraeli settlements in the +est Bank and Ga9a and allowed everythin! from e ers to cosmetics from settlemets to enter (uro e ta; free" (ffectively, the (U was reco!nisin! .sraeli soverei!nty over territory it had esta)lished unlawfully" Charles Shamas from the 'alestinian Mattin !rou worked tirelessly to e; ose the loo hole, resultin! in the esta)lishment of a new )ureaucratic system or OTechnical ,rran!ement& for the im ort of .sraeli settlement roduce" Tomatoes and fish currently enter (uro ean markets tariff under the (U-Morocco ,ssociation ,!reement, )ut the Butch !overnment in C%$C reco!nised it cannot allow !oods from Moroccans in +estern Sahara to enter its markets ta; free" By contrast, the UK !overnment has told retailers that they can a ly for referential ta; free treatment for Moroccan settlements in +estern Sahara thou!h this is a clear )reach of the duty of non-reco!nition" 'olisario or individual Britons or Sahrawis could otentially take le!al action to )rin! this to an end" .ndeed, advice from one UK lawyer hi!hli!hts thatA 3(rticle C%DBE of the Protocol to the +1-Israeli (ssociation (greement is identical, in relevant parts, to (rticle CCDBE of Protocol F to the +,-Morocco (greement.CF. It would therefore seem to follow that the ,G customs authorities, if they have reasona*le dou*t as to the origin of particular products claiming to originate in Morocco are entitled to seek verification from the Moroccan customs authorities and, if the latter do not provide sufficient information to ena*le the real origin of the products to *e determined, the former are entitled to refuse to grant preferential treatment in respect of such products.6 The ro)lem is the (uro ean Commission currently fails to acce t its duty of non-reco!nition towards +estern Sahara" .ndeed, accordin! to Correll, the Commission is wron!ly a lyin! his official le!al o inion to the UN Secretary 71

General in 7an astonishin! way8 to ena)le it to en!a!e in treaty relations with Morocco over +estern Sahara" ,ccordin! to the CommissionA 0 o the e-tent that e-ports from )estern $ahara are de facto *enefiting from the trade preferences, activities related to natural resources undertaken *y an administering power in a nonself-governing territory are lawful as long as they are not undertaken in disregard of the needs, interests and *enefits of the people of that territory. he de facto administration of Morocco in )estern $ahara is o*liged to comply with these principles of international law. he same applies to the new (greement on the li*eralisation of trade on agriculture and fisheries products which will enter into force from ? #cto*er %=?%. In this conte-t, the Moroccan authorities have already agreed to provide information on all relevant areas of the implementation of this (greement. his would also cover information on the *enefits of this (greement for the local population including in the )estern $ahara territory.26 The (uro ean Commission is takin! a otentially very costly le!al !am)le here" +hen cam ai!ners discovered that the (U was !ivin! millions of euros of research funds to com anies o eratin! in ille!al .sraeli settlements, they forced the Commission to issue le!al !uidelines to sto the ractice usin! the duty of non-reco!nition" The .sraeli rime minister led a di lomatic cam ai!n to force the (U to )ack down, even threatenin! to withdraw from a multi-)illion euro research a!reement includin! the whole of .srael" <e failed" ,nd the (U has now )een forced into not reco!nisin! various .sraeli institutions such as the !overnment )ody certifyin! or!anic roduce inside .sraeli settlements" ,nd the i!nominy of seein! the (U refusin! to reco!nise .sraeli settlements has caused u)lic outra!e and de)ate in .srael" These recedents could )e e; loited )y +estern Sahara cam ai!ners to force the (U to sus+uropean Parliament, Parliamentary Huestions8 (nswer given *y Mr IioloJ on *ehalf of the 1ommission, +-==B%=>A%=?%, %@ (ugust %=?%
2

end or cancel arts of a!reements it has si!ned with Morocco" 5iding and 5!etting (U !overnments o erate state com anies, ensions investments at local and national level, and su)sidise charita)le !ivin! throu!h schemes like the UK&s Gift ,id" These transfer money to Morocco for a whole ran!e of reasons" But what ha ens if (U states unwittin!ly invest in Moroccan hos hate mines or fish factories in +estern Sahara or rovide e; ort !uarantees, loans or ta; incentives that hel national com anies to e; loit ille!alityN .ndeed, how do they know where their funds end u N (U mem)er states not only have an o)li!ation not to reco!nise serious )reaches of international law )ut also not to rovide aid or assistance that maintains a continuin! serious )reach of international law" .f they do so, they could )e lia)le for restitution or com ensation" The UK !overnment recently advised international security com any G*S to withdraw its involvement in .sraeli settlements and checkoints in the +est Bank" G*S has much more lucrative UK contracts and so took the advice seriously" But why did the UK !overnment !ive the adviceN +as a le!al officer concerned a)out !overnment contracts with a com any aidin! .sraeli settlementsN ,nd, rior to the advice, had the UK rovided e; ort !uarantees to G*S for this work, otentially e; osin! the !overnment to le!al actionN That some ma=or (uro ean financial institutions are re-e;aminin! their e; osure to fundin! of the .sraeli occu ation has already )een mentioned" There is lenty of o ortunity to e;tend and e; loit these reviews" .sraeli )anks are closely involved in fundin! ille!al .sraeli settlement )uildin! and maintainin! )ankin! services for local councils who o erate .sraeli settlements" ,nd Moroccan financial institutions su ort the hundreds of thousands of Moroccan settlers and the ille!al e; loitation of +estern Saharan natural resources" (uro ean investors in these )anks and other financial )odies can have their feet held to the fire alon! with !overnments com licit in su ortin! them" 72

+orporate +ompli#ity Com anies are not arty to international law 6 they do not as it were have Ole!al ersonality"& .t is states that si!n treaties, sit at the UN and are (U mem)ers" But some states, such as Canada and the Netherlands, have assed national laws that not only a ly international criminal law to individuals )ut !ive com anies domestic le!al ersonality" So com anies too can also )e tried for war crimes, crimes a!ainst humanity and !enocide" .n recent years, there have )een a strin! of cases tryin! to )rin! comanies to =ustice for a)uses in the occu ied 'alestinian territory" 6oluntary Standards There is an emer!in! doctrine of Osoft law,& voluntary rinci les and standards that com anies are not le!ally o)li!ed to a ly )ut which they increasin! si!n u to or say they a ly" The most well known are the UN Guidin! 'rinci les on Business and <uman -i!hts sometimes referred to as the -u!!ie #ramework, and the wider UN Glo)al Com act" The UK !overnment recently issued 'ood !usiness8 Implementing ," 'uiding Principles on !usiness and :uman /ights and followed this )y creatin! a num)er of new or u dated country a!es on the its :verseas Business -isk we)site" #or .srael it saidA3...$ettlements are illegal under international law, constitute an o*stacle to peace and threaten to make a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict impossi*le. )e will not recognise any changes to the pre-?@BK *orders, including with regard to 7erusalem, other than those agreed *y the parties. here are therefore clear risks related to economic and financial activities in the settlements, and we do not encourage or offer support to such activity. Financial transactions, investments, purchases, procurements as well as other economic activities Dincluding in services like tourismE in Israeli settlements or *enefiting Israeli settlements, entail legal and economic risks stemming from the fact that the Israeli settlements, according to international law, are *uilt on occupied land and are not recognised as a legitimate part of Israel0s territory. his may res-

ult in disputed titles to the land, water, mineral or other natural resources which might *e the su*<ect of purchase or investment. +, citi4ens and *usinesses should also *e aware of the potential reputational implications of getting involved in economic and financial activities in settlements, as well as possi*le a*uses of the rights of individuals. hose contemplating any economic or financial involvement in settlements should seek appropriate legal advice.36 Stran!ely, while the Doing !usiness in Morocco !uide hi!hli!hts the Moroccan Ooccu ation& of +estern Sahara, the :verseas Business -isk we) a!e for Morocco fails to mention +estern Sahara" +ould UK land, mineral or water investments in +estern Sahara not )e su)=ect to the same Odis uted& title status in +estern Sahara as they are in the occu ied 'alestinian territoryN The we) a!e also hi!hli!hts that UK com anies are e;em t from dou)le ta;ation, which is unlawful if a lied to investment and trade with +estern Sahara, as it )reaches the UK o)li!ation not to reco!nise the Moroccan occu ation of the territory" $ro#urement #ontra#ts The overarchin! 'ood !usiness !uide that the UK !overnment issued also statesA3,nder the pu*lic procurement rules pu*lic *odies may e-clude tenders from *idding for a contract opportunity in certain circumstances, including where there is information showing grave misconduct *y a company in the course of its *usiness or profession. $uch misconduct might arise in cases where there are *reaches of human rights. In addition, ,G pu*lic *odies are reLuired to have due regard for eLuality-related issues in their procurement activity.6 There must )e room here for investi!atin! whether caterin! com anies su lyin! the British army or schools and hos itals are rocurin! roduce from +estern Sahara" .n arliamentary answers, the UK !overnment says it does not have a formal olicy to e;clude !oods from .sraeli settlements, )ut that the em)assy
3

and consulate staff do not do so" .n recent years, u)lic services com any Reolia has lost valua)le contracts in the UK and mainland (uro e, followin! ressure on local councils, hi!hli!htin! the rofessional misconduct of the com any in runnin! services in .sraeli settlements" Cam ai!ners throu!hout (uro e mi!ht ressure local, re!ional or national !overnments to e;clude com anies lunderin! +estern Sahara resources from rocurement contracts" ,a!elling laws <undreds, if not thousands, of eo le comlained to UK su ermarkets that they had )een unwittin!ly )uyin! fresh roduce from .sraeli settlements" .n C%$%, the UK !overnment issued la)ellin! !uidance for !oods from .sraeli settlements advisin! retailers thatA 3$eparately, the 'overnment considers that traders would *e misleading consumers, and would therefore almost *e certainly committing an McriminalN offence, if they were to declare produce from the #P Dincluding from the )est !ankE as 3Produce of Israel6. his would apply irrespective of whether the produce was from a Palestinian producer or from an Israeli settlement in the #P . his is *ecause the area does not fall within the internationally recognised *orders of the state of Israel.6 ,ll UK ma=or su ermarkets declared they would a)ide )y the !uidelines" But Tesco is )elieved still to )e )uyin! from ille!al .sraeli settlements" Marks S S encer says it cannot )uy from settlements )ecause of insurance issuesI +aitrose hi!hli!hted 5uality issues to consumersI Sains)ury&s is not )uyin! Oat the moment,& )ut had )een doin! so for many years" Morrisons, ,sda 2+almart3 and Bud!ens all have olicies" Under an (U law known as the Unfair Commercial 'ractices Birective, rovidin! misleadin! marketin! information to consumers is an offence" The directive has )een )rou!ht into law )y national !overnments" .n the UK, it is the Consumer 'rotection from Unfair Tradin! -e!ulations 2C%%@3" The law is wide ran!in! and includes the la)ellin! of roducts" The official (U !uidance

http8AAwww.ukti.gov.ukAe-portAcountriesAasiapacificAneareastA israelAoverseas*usinessrisk.html

73

statesA 3It is misleading to8 omit material information that the average consumer needs, according to the conte-t, to take an informed transactional decisionO hide or provide material information in an unclear,unintelligi*le, am*iguous or untimely mannerO fail to identify the commercial intent of the commercial practice if not already apparent from the conte-t. )hen assessing practices for omissions, the following aspects are taken into consideration8 )hat counts is the effect of the commercial practice in its entirety, including the presentationO Information must *e displayed clearly8 o*scure presentation is tantamount to an omission to informO6 ,nd the UK duly rovided advice to retailers tradin! with +estern Sahara" .n a written arliamentary answer on the $4 >uly C%$C, >im 'aice M', the minister then res onsi)le, statedA3'eneral advice has *een given to the !ritish /etail 1onsortium a*out the consumer sensitivities surrounding the la*elling of produce imported into the ,nited Gingdom which is of )estern $ahara provenance. ,nder +, law, information on food la*els must not mislead consumers, and failing to give particulars of the place of origin or provenance of a food when consumers may otherwise *e misled to a material degree as to the food0s true origin or provenance is an offence D+F/( officials have discussed origin la*elling with the !ritish /etail 1onsortium, indicating the desira*ility of giving .Produce of )estern $ahara2 as the origin on the la*els of such goods.6 But the minister addedA3:owever, in the case of produce packaged in the region of production, D+F/( recognises that it may not *e practical or economic for an importer or a retailer to la*el goods of )estern $ahara origin in that way, in view of the fact that such a declaration of origin cannot *e made when the goods are imported into the +, if they are to Lualify for the preferential tariff treatment provided for *y the +,Morocco (greement.6 This seems a)surd" The minister a ears to )e sayin! that retailers must a)ide )y consumer 74

rotection law )ut then that it is alri!ht for them to commit a criminal offence if they want to reduce the customs ta;es they ay" ,lthou!h it is a criminal offence, in the UK enforcement is the res onsi)ility of local authority Tradin! Standards officers who may )e com letely unaware of +estern Sahara and .sraeli settlements" Bes ite the stron! intent of some local tradin! standards officers, comlaints a!ainst su ermarkets wron!ly markin! +estern Sahara tomatoes seem to !et lost in a system" Tradin! Standards officers su!!est a few more letters of com laint would hel to ensure that action is taken" Under other (U laws, com anies do not have to rovide !eo!ra hic Oori!in& la)els for all roducts, =ust some such as fruit, meat and ve!eta)les" +here ori!in la)els are dis layed thou!h, they must com ly with the Unfair Commercial 'ractices Birective" But )usiness to )usiness trade such as hos hates is outside the sco e of these laws" The open 7uestion ,cademic le!al te;ts a!ree that the duty of nonreco!nition a lies to +estern Sahara" .n two le!al rofessional o inions )y servin! )arristers the duty also a lies to +estern Sahara" 'rofessor Crawford, reviously cited, is one of the world&s most eminent =urists havin! drafted the -ome Statute for states" There are indications that the inter retation of di lomats and officials of the various relevant laws, and their willin!ness to a ly them has chan!ed for the )etter over recent years" Besite 6 scandalously 6 a rovin! the fishin! a!reement with Morocco last year, the (U is now lookin! to a ly its le!al o)li!ations as a tactic to sto .srael from )uildin! any more settlements or demolishin! 'alestinian homes" Slowly, more initiatives are )ein! re ared, includin! new (U wide la)ellin! and )usiness !uidelines for .sraeli settlements" This ro!ress could and should )e e;tended to +estern Sahara" But the (U and mem)er states erceive they can a ly domestic, (U and international law at will"

.ndeed, as 'rofessor Crawford writes in his u)lic le!al o inion on state res onsi)ility and .sraeli settlementsA 3Finally, as a matter of realpolitik, the +uropean ,nion has demonstrated political disinterest in upholding the right to self-determination in relation to the analogous situation in )estern $ahara. he recently-e-tended Fisheries Partnership (greement D.FP(2E entered into *etween Morocco and the +uropean 1ommunities provides for fishing rights over the offshore territory of Morocco, including the unlawfully anne-ed territory of )estern $ahara.6 The o en 5uestion is whether the Sahrawis and their friends have the determination to hold olitical and )usiness interests to account and )rin! to )ear the threat of massive re utational, olitical and financial costs for )reachin! international law and colludin! with the occu ation"

75

"a*ing musi# for freedom

!y $ara Mc'uinness I write this as a relati e new#omer to the world of the Sahrawi people. .t was only one year a!o that . first set foot in the refu!ee cam s" Before then . had heard a)out the Sahrawi situation )ut had no idea of the scale of the cam s, with an estimated C%%,%%% refu!ees dis laced into the harsh desert of S+ ,l!eria, since $/04, s read out in five lar!e cam s" . was initially invited to the cam s to teach sound recordin! for the Studio-Kive ro=ect, an initiative led )y UK charity Sand)last" The )road mandate of the ro=ect is to e5ui the Sahrawis livin! in e;ile with the skills and material resources to )uild their own music industry in the cam s" . discovered early on, that music has layed an im ortant role in e; ressin! the cause of self-determination for the Sahrawi eo le" So far, very little of their music has mana!ed to reach international audiences and Studio-Kive ho es to hel chan!e that" Since my first visit in Becem)er C%$C, . have had the rivile!e of !oin! )ack to the cam s three times to contri)ute towards )uildin! sound recordin! skills in the community throu!h short trainin! worksho s" Burin! these action- acked visits . have for!ed friendshi s, develo ed a stron! ra ort with my students and met many wonderful and talented musicians" The Studio-Kive ro=ect has evolved out of the charity director&s lon! -standin! relationshi with the refu!ee community and the work Sand)last has done to romote Sahrawi music and its musicians since its creation in C%%1" There are several strands to the Studio-Kive ro=ect, of which the sound recordin! trainin! that . am involved with, is )ut one" The ro=ect kicked off in C%$% with a series of fundraisin! and awareness raisin! activities in the UK" Biscussions with the Ministry of Culture in the cam s determined that the first ste should )e the rovision of live sound trainin! and a decent concert '," To this end, Sand)last for!ed a link with another UK charity 6 #air76

tunes - to deliver the trainin! and source a ro riate sound e5ui ment" .n early C%$$, a com rehensive ', was delivered in a donated van and three live sound courses have )een !iven to some $1 students since C%$C" .t was decided that, once the live sound trainin! was esta)lished, work would )e!in on the studio trainin!" :n my first tri . was accom anied )y a !rou from Sand)last and BBC =ournalist -o)in Beneslow, who was !oin! out to roduce the BBC -adio * ro!ramme $tudio in the $and" Burin! my stay, . had the chance to assess the level of studio trainin! re5uired and meet otential students and musicians" .t )ecame immediately a arent that the Sahrawis were cryin! out for a means to record and document their music" There is a ervasive fear that a lot of their music knowled!e and history is )ein! lost as leadin! artists die out without )ein! recorded" . also found there was a lar!e )ody of eo le keen to !ain skills in sound recordin!" :ne of the main concerns we faced was how to deliver the trainin! in a manner that would ensure a hi!h enou!h level of e; ertise was develo ed for the Sahrawis to )e self-sufficient" Both sound recordin! and live sound are areas that re5uire a certain de th of knowled!e" .n addition, as ractical su)=ects, they can only )e thorou!hly learned throu!h continuin! handson ractice" .t was decided that, for the studio trainin!, . would initially teach a core !rou of students who could eventually !o on to train others" These days, with the constant technolo!ical advancements, there are numerous o tions for a )asic recordin! set u " The e5ui ment that . was !iven to teach on was a com uter-)ased system )ased around a $? inch Mac )ook with a minimal amount of e5ui ment and a limited ran!e of micro hones, which - thanks to fundraisin! and donations - is slowly e; andin!" The first trainin! course took lace over the course of two weeks in , ril C%$?" ,s the ro=ect had no remises, we situated ourselves in the newly esta)lished music school in the smallest cam of Bou=dour 2 reviously known as #e)ruary C03" .t had the )are shells of two rooms that had )een desi!nated for a recordin!

studio" +orkin! there was a mi;ed )lessin!" Bein! on the outskirts of the cam , the electricity su ly was e;tremely oor with constant ower cuts" .t was also 5uite a trek for the students to !et to class and, even more tryin!, sta!!er home under the midday sun" The rooms we were workin! in were )are, s5uare rooms with tiled floors, full of hard reflective surfaces 6 ro)a)ly =ust a)out the worst environment for recordin!" <owever, the music school was an e;cellent lace to !et started as there was a constant stream of musicians rehearsin! there, rovidin! an introduction for myself and a !ood source of willin! artists for recordin! ractice" By the end of the two weeks, . had a core !rou of si; students who had !ained the )asic skills and were committed to the ro=ect" The second two-week course took lace in Se tem)er C%$?"This time we were in the youth centre in central Bou=dour" This was an e;cellent location and we found ourselves with no shorta!e of musicians willin! to record and a constant )u99 around the ro=ect" The a)undant recordin! ractice, su orted )y intensive theory and ractical classes, ena)led the students to ro!ress ra idly on this course" , si!nificant develo ment, =ust as . left the cam , was the ac5uisition of remises in central Bou=dour to ilot the Studio-Kive ro=ect" Under the !uidance of Sand)last&s director Banielle Smith, the remises were ada ted and the Studio-Kive trainee team or!anised into a collective to run the centre as a rehearsal and recordin! s ace" :ver the course of the last few months, the core students have )een esta)lishin! themselves as a art of the local community and have )een very )usy" :n my ne;t visit, in >anuary C%$*, . will have the o ortunity to review the work done and take the trainin! a ste further towards a rofessional standard" +hilst much of the world takes access to music and music roduction for !ranted, the Sahrawi cam s have until now remained for the most art isolated, with limited access to technolo!y, intermittent mo)ile hone connections and, if availa)le at all, an unrelia)le, unsta)le electri98

city su ly" This makes the Studio- Kive ro=ect even more relevant, whilst resentin! many challen!es on hysical, technolo!ical and social levels" :n the hysical level, there will )e the need to im rove the acoustic ro erties of the StudioKive centre if it is !oin! to )e a successful recordin! environment" This is harder than it sounds )ecause of the limited resources availa)le locally" +ith the vast ran!e of recordin! e5ui ment on the market today, there will )e the constant )alance )etween )uyin! what the ro=ect can afford and )uildin! u a rofessional standard facility" Currently, the studio is runnin! with minimal e5ui ment, )ut as the ro=ect !ains momentum it is ho ed that money will )e raised to invest in more studio e5ui ment" The main challen!e is )uildin! u a studio ro)ust enou!h to withstand the unishin! hysical conditions" Sand, heat and unsta)le ower su ly cons ire to sa)ota!e carefully laid lans" Short of investin! in military !rade e5ui ment - too costly to )e a via)le solution the ro=ect is testin! e5ui ment Oin the field&" (5ui ment manufacturers will not !uarantee o eratin! in tem eratures a)ove ?1TC" +e have found that some e5ui ment soldiers on, some =ust Ofaints& in the heat, only to come )ack to life once reachin! the UK" +e ho e that trial and error lead to a relia)le studio set-u " There is no !ettin! away from the ro)lem of sand, and the e;tent to which we resort to sheets of lastic and !affer ta e will have to )e =ud!ed" <avin! a ermanent hysical s ace will )e a !reat im rovement in kee in! the e5ui ment clean" ,!ain, time and e; erimentation will tell" Some e5ui ment will fare )etter than other" There are also many social factors that are emer!in! as the ro=ect takes root and develo s" The Studio Kive Trainee Team has, 5uite )y accident, turned out to )e a team of three men and three women" +hilst Sahrawi women are visi)le and e;tremely active in cam life and society, it is unusual anywhere in the male dominated world of the sound studio, to have a team com risin! 1%U women" .n addition, there are )lack mem)ers of the team" So, we find ourselves in a osition where the Studio-

Kive team is confrontin! issues of racism and se;ism in society" This is forcin! the ro=ect to address these challen!es and en!a!e local sources in educational activism to find effective solutions" ,nother im ortant dimension in the sound recordin! trainin! rocess involves educatin! the musicians as much as the sound en!ineers" -ecordin! is a skill that even the most e; erienced musician needs to develo " The ro=ect has )een endeavourin! to work with a wide ran!e of the Sahrawi musicians, not only to develo the skills of the en!ineerin! team )ut also to increase the e; erience of the musicians in the recordin! environment" .t has )een encoura!in! to see the interest in the ro=ect and the willin!ness to artici ate on the art of the musicians" <owever, they still look to myself and other visitin! en!ineers as the Oe; erts&" , com)ination of the youn! a!e of the en!ineerin! team and their lack of e; erience means that they will need to rove themselves )y roducin! some 5uality recordin!s to !ain the res ect of the musicians" To add to our challen!es, we also need to overcome the sus icion amon! some musicians that we are there to Osteal& their music for our own !ain" This is a fear that is not uni5ue to the SahrawisI . have encountered it in many countries of the world" . su ose that it !rows out of the many historical e;am les of musicians )ein! e; loited" But Sand)last lans to incor orate education on the !lo)al music industry, artistsP ri!hts, and music romotion as art of the Studio Kive ro=ect, to ena)le the artists to take control of their own music marketin!" Currently, the recordin! 5uality of music in the cam s is sim ly too oor to !ain international reco!nition" But, as musicians and trainee en!ineers have access to hi!her 5uality recordin!s, they will reco!nise the value of ayin! attention to 5uality sound recordin! and, as the en!ineers im rove their skills, hi!her 5uality

recordin!s will )e roduced" The !oal is for the Studio Kive Team to have the skills to )e self sufficient, )ut )e a)le to count on maintained links with outside e; ertise for su ort and e;chan!e of ideas" -ecently, the Sahrawis asked for hel to set u internationally reco!nised certification for music and sound en!ineerin! trainin! in the cam s" To this end, Sand)last has started to )uild a link with the Kondon Colle!e of Music where . teach - and have mana!ed to )uild an enthusiasm to su ort Studio-Kive" .nitially, it is lanned to send volunteer music teachers to the cam s and for students to study a ran!e of instruments, workin! towards the certificated KCM !rades" There are also lans for an e;chan!e of skills with students from the Kondon Colle!e of Music who can rovide videos and online su ort in recordin! skills" The Studio Kive ro=ect has succeeded in attractin! su ort from several or!anisations and individuals )ut is still in need of more hi!h rofile involvement and fundin! to have the im act it seeks" :ne recent ositive develo has )een the interest of the British Ki)rary to )uild an archive of Sahrawi music for its collection" , mem)er of the Sand)last team - Rioleta -uano - who is doin! 'hB research into Sahrawi music at the School of :riental and ,frican Studies, is )usy makin! field recordin!s as . write" ,s the ro=ect !rows, it will )e im ortant to re!ularly re-evaluate and mana!e throu!h constant dialo!ue, to ensure that the ro=ect stays focused and is in tune with the needs of the Sahrawi community" The ro=ect is makin! a ositive contri)ution to Sahrawi cam life, and is )ein! well received" Studio Kive artici ants, en!ineers and musicians, are develo in! skills that will develo the way that Sahrawi music is documented and distri)uted )oth within the cam s and )eyond"

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&ou 'raa
71 ordai

99

&

ou 'raa has many resonances for the Sahrawis% The (elated discovery of $hos$hates en) coura"ed the S$anish colonial re"ime to ta*e an interest in the interior of the territory where hitherto it had (arricaded itself in coastal enclaves+ venturin" out to launch $unitive cam$ai"ns a"ainst local fi"hters% ,nd the mineral wealth was a ma#or factor in -orocco.s de) termination to sei/e the Western Sahara and dominate the "lo(al $hos$hate mar*et% So &ou 'raa sym(olises colonial $lunder% &ut it also sym(olises resistance% The sa(ota"e of the conveyor (elt carryin" ore to 0ayoune 1ort is one of the "reat stories of the early years of anti)colonial resistance+ well recounted (y one of its $rota"onists% The do""edness of the remainin" Sahrawi miners in the face of -oroc) can discriminatory em$loyment $ractices is a sym(ol of steadfastness and the $ensions $aid to former miners (y S$ain are an im$ortant source of income in the cam$s% ,nd &ou 'raa is also a (eacon% The $hos$hate wealth $lundered (y others can (ecome an im) $ortant source of forei"n revenue earnin"s for an inde$endent state% The route to &ou 'raa sna*es away from the main road (etween 0ayoune and Smara+ leadin" dee$ into the desert+ mar*ed out (y the $illars su$$ortin" the conveyor (elt 2 mile after mile% 3ou do not wal* (eside the road or close to the conveyor (elt for fear of the anti)$ersonnel mines laid down lon" a"o+ their location unrecorded% Once at the mine+ all sense of $ers$ective is challen"ed% 4very thin" is (i""er (y far than outside of this white+ dust drenched hidden world where all natural features have (een scra$ed and dra""ed away% 5n the (urnin" heat and the (lindin" "lare+ tiny fi"ures move amon"st "iant ma) chines in a (arren landsca$e% 4nterin" the o$en cast $hos$hate mine in &ou 'raa is li*e ste$) $in" on to an off)world film set for a sci)fi movie% Gar"antuan dra"lines $lou"h the "round+ "ou"in" several metres dee$% Some 3mn tonnes a year are stri$$ed from a 3+000 acre site% -ore outsi/ed machinery $iles u$ s$oil hea$s+ drills holes+ or dum$s the usa(le de$osits on to the lon"est conveyor (elt in the world that runs do/ens of miles to the ,tlantic and can carry 2+000 tonnes an hour% 6rom the shore+ a #etty stretches far out into water dee$ enou"h for (ul*ers to moor alon"side to receive their car"oes of $hos$hate% The scale of the machines and infrastructure is im$ressive even in the vast em$tiness of the surroundin" hammada, and their si/e hints at the 7uantity of $hos$hate roc* needed (efore it can (e $rocessed into fertiliser% &ou 'raa8s annual $roduction+ set to $ea* in 2030+ not only contri(utes healthily to the -oroc) can economy (ut also furthers its $olitical levera"e with tradin" $artners% -orocco has always tried to dissuade such countries from reco"nisin" Western Sahara and+ "iven that -orocco is one of three countries that share 9:; of *nown $hos$hate reserves+ the $olicy has met with some success% That said+ so has the do""ed cam$ai"n to $ersuade and shame com$anies out of ta*in" Sahrawi $hos$hates from the -oroccan state mar*eter% <essels s$otted and trac*ed+ charterers identified and cam$ai"ners alerted% 90