Swedish MFA: Morocco is occupying Western Sahara, and has no right to
exploit the natural resources

Answer to written question 2006/07:1622
The Parliament of Sweden
18 September 2007

Question:
Oil exploration offshore Western Sahara.
Answer:
Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt

Agneta Berliner has asked whether I am planning to make any efforts for a
renewed analysis of international law regarding the issue of natural
resources in Western Sahara, considering that Sweden has defined Western
Sahara as an occupied territory.

The Swedish government’s position when it comes to analysing international
law in this matter is clear. The area we today call Western Sahara, the
former Spanish colony Spanish Sahara, is occupied by Morocco. We base this
conclusion on the decision made by the International Court of Justice in
1975: that Morocco has no legally founded claim over Western Sahara.

This means that Morocco has a duty to maintain general order and public
life and welfare, and that Morocco has no right to exploit the natural
resources in Western Sahara for its own benefit. Exploitation or usage of
renewable resources for the benefit of the people of Western Sahara can be
accepted according to international law. However, when it comes to
non-renewable resources, great caution must be made.

The principle of peoples’ right to self-determination prescribes that the
people of Western Sahara should be able to influence the way such
exploitation is being carried out, and it must benefit them economically.
The UN’s legal office has in its statement (S/2002/161) from 2002
established that further exploration or exploitation of the oil in Western
Sahara, in violation of the principles of peoples’ right to
self-determination, is not compatible with international law. In this
regard, it is important to underline that the agreements which the legal
office analysed concerned exploration, not actual exploitation of oil.

The above conclusion lays the basis of the government’s position. I do not
therefore see any reason for a renewed analysis of the kind asked for by
Agneta Berliner.

Question asked 6 Sept 2007
Question answered 18 Sept 2007

[Translated from Swedish by the Norwegian Support Committee for Western
Sahara]

Read Swedish original here:
www.riksdagen.se/webbnav/?nid=71&dok_id=GU121622&rm=2006/07&bet=1622

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Forwarded by:

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Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara


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