WRITTEN QUESTION E-0198/03

by Margot Keßler (PSE) to the Council

(3 February 2003)

Subject: Western Sahara Visit of European Parliament Ad Hoc Delegation Human Rights

The European Parliament Ad Hoc Delegation for the Western Sahara visited Laayoune, the capital of this non-self-governing territory, on 12 March 2002. A meeting with members of the civil society, including Saharawi human rights activists, was held in Laayoune Parador Hotel.

The meeting took place at the request of the European Delegation, which raised the question of the safety of the civil society members. The Delegation chair, Catherine Lalumiere MEP, promised to give every guarantee that the participants in the meeting would not undergo intimidation by the Moroccan authorities following this meeting. After their meeting with the MEPs, the president and a large number of members of the local human rights NGO Forum for Truth and Justice: Sahara Section who participated in the meeting were prosecuted by the occupying Moroccan authorities. The Saharawi participants were the president of the NGO, Mr Moutik Lahoussine, Mr Eddymaoui Abdessalem, Mr Ennassiri Ahmed, Mr Elmoussaoui Edkhil and Mr Mohamed Elmoutaouikil.

Mr Moutik Lahoussine was fired from his job (in the company Sepomer Sahara SARL) due to his meeting with the European Parliament Ad Hoc Delegation. The other members of the Saharawi delegation were detained on several occasions and prosecuted for political reasons.

Several members of the Sahara section of the Truth and Justice Forum and Saharawi human rights militants have currently been targeted by intimidation measures.

What is the Council doing against these violations of human rights?

As the Kingdom of Morocco is the occupying power in Western Sahara, what kind of action at diplomatic level is the Council taking in this respect to improve the situation of the above-mentioned persons who met the Ad Hoc Delegation?

What kind of measures can the Council provide concerning the next European Parliament missions to this non-self-governing territory?

Reply

(13 May 2003)

The Council takes note of the facts reported by the Honourable Member.

The Council is following the Western Sahara issue closely. It fully supports the efforts of the United Nations and in particular those of the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, Mr James Baker, in the quest for a sustainable solution that fully respects international law, human rights and democracy. Mr Baker went to the region in January 2003 to present to the parties the terms of a proposal for a political solution to the conflict. The United Nations Security Council decided at the end of January to extend the mandate of Minurso until 31 March 2003, to allow the parties to take full advantage of the time and to consider the proposal constructively.

Respect for democratic principles and fundamental human rights are an essential element of the association between the European Union and third countries. These subjects are regularly raised in that connection at the political dialogue meetings that the EU conducts with the countries concerned, particularly in the framework of the association agreements. At the last EU/Morocco Association Council meeting on 24 February 2003 in Brussels, the Council again emphasised the need to comply fully with civil and human-rights guarantees in Western Sahara. The EU attaches particular importance to the humanitarian dimension of this conflict. It has always taken the position that humanitarian measures should be taken without delay in order to re-establish trust between the parties.

At the meeting on 24 February 2003, Morocco assured the EU that it was willing to negotiate a political solution, with the Algerian side in particular, and that it wanted to bring an end to this 30-year dispute. The European Union expressed the hope that this rapprochement would be beneficial both for the final settling of the Western Sahara dispute and for the fate of the peoples and the regional integration of the Maghreb as a whole.

The Council further refers the Honourable Member to its reply to question P-2254/02 put by Ms Marianne Eriksson.

Regarding this last question, the issue falls outside the responsibility of the Council.