Udenrigsudvalget 2016-17
URU Alm.del Bilag 87
Offentligt
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Dansk Marokkansk Raad
يكرمنادلا يبرغملا يراشتسلاا سلجملا
Natural Resources and Sahara
The Kingdom of Morocco’s approach is clear: we give a careful analysis of the facts on the
ground and simply let the facts speak for themselves.
The Moroccan Southern provinces are a sparely-populated territory on the west coast of Africa:
570.000 inhabitants for a land area almost the size of Great Britain. During the Spanish control
of the region, most parts of Southern provinces were populated by Arab and Amazigh nomadic
and whose historic and religious allegiance went to the ruling Sultan (King) of Morocco. As a
matter of fact, an advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice in The Hague
(Netherlands) on October the 16th, 1975 recognizes the «
legal ties between this territory and the
Kingdom of Morocco
».
1.
Natural Resources, Economic & Infrastructure Development
It is only since Morocco has taken back this territory again that coastline cities such a Laayoune
and Dakhla have seen significant economic and socio-cultural development. To develop the
Southern provinces during the last four decades,
the Moroccan government has been
spending 7 additional dollars for each and every dollar it collected and re-invested
locally,
as officially stated by His Majesty King Mohammed VI in a recent speech.
Moreover, the Polisario claims phosphates as the principle motivation for Morocco’s presence
in the Sahara, but this is basically irrelevant since
75% of the world’s phosphate reserves are
found in the northern Moroccan city of Khouribga, not in the Southern provinces.
Phosphates extracted from the Southern provinces represent only 8 percent of
Morocco’s total production.
That goes without saying that phosphates production,
transportation and exportation costs are higher in Southern provinces compared to other areas
in Morocco; yet, they have been kept mainly for social reasons, such as preserving employment
and meeting the local population’s needs.
The financial income Morocco earned from phosphates and fishing in the Sahara does not
exceed $5.2 billion over four decades. Has Morocco used these funds in projects that do not
serve the interests of the Saharan population as the leaders of the Polisario claim ? Has
Morocco exploited the natural resources of the region ?
A mere comparison between the
state of the Sahara at the time of Spanish colonialism and the present time will suffice
Dansk Marokkansk Raad
Dortheavej. 14. 2400 København NV - Tlf. 00 45 26 85 22 03 - Fax. 00 45 38 86 22 03 - Email.:
[email protected]
www.dm- raad.com
Cvr.nr. :
36669667
. Bank.: Fælleskassen. Reg.nr. 8411. Konto.nr. 8882704000. BIC/Swift. DANBDK22.
IBAN.DK8902778882704000
 URU, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 87: Henvendelse af 25. januar 2017 fra Dansk Marokkansk Råd om handelsaftalerne mellem EU og Marokko
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Dansk Marokkansk Raad
يكرمنادلا يبرغملا يراشتسلاا سلجملا
to show that the Moroccan government has spent tens of billions of dollars to build
entire cities and turn a desert area into a prosperous region.
When Spain departed from the Sahara on February 28, 1976, the area lacked the most basic
requirements of a decent life. There were no hospitals, no schools, no roads, and no airports.
The Moroccan government built entire cities from scratch and equipped them with all the
necessities of life and wellbeing for their inhabitants, including hospitals, schools, four maritime
ports, two airports, 10,000 km of roads, recreational facilities, facilities for the desalination of
sea water, irrigation systems,
world-leading solar and wind renewable energy projects,
etc.
One of the most important indicators that shows clearly how
the Saharan population has
benefited from the heavy investments made by the Moroccan government at all levels is
the fact that human development indicators in the Southern provinces outweigh the
human development indicators in the rest of Morocco.
Social protection programs and
economic initiatives have consistently placed the Sahara in the highest ranks in the country in
terms of human development. Today, 97% of children in Southern provinces are enrolled in
school with this number stabilizing at 78% in secondary levels as compared to 14% in 1976. In
a 20-year period, poverty in the region decreased by 66% or two times that of the national level.
Housing is built and available for any Saharan family fleeing the refugee camps.
The Sahara region benefits from an ambitious program of sustainable development as part of a
comprehensive approach initiated under the leadership of HM King Mohammed VI who
recently announced the launch of new mega-projects worth an estimated US $ 15 billion,
aiming to turn the Sahara into a hub for trade and human constructive interaction between
Africa and Europe and to make the people of the region the stakeholders in their day-to-day
lives. The Moroccan government is confident that the efforts it has been exerting in recent
years to promote the economic development of the Sahara will eventually convince large
numbers of Saharans still living in Tindouf refugee camps to join their families back in
Morocco’s southern provinces, as a final solution to this artificial conflict.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that
the UN’s SG report on Southern provinces for 2015
tackled the management of natural resources (in response to a Moroccan official request) and
it
made no mention of any illegality in this regard.
Likewise, the UN’s Security Council never
referred to any illegality concerning Morocco's management of its natural resources in the
Sahara region.
None of the UN’s 63 Sahara resolutions has described the region as an
« occupied territory ».
Today, the Moroccan Autonomy Plan is strongly backed by the
United States, France, all Arab League countries (except Algeria) and most of the UN
member countries.
Dansk Marokkansk Raad
Dortheavej. 14. 2400 København NV - Tlf. 00 45 26 85 22 03 - Fax. 00 45 38 86 22 03 - Email.:
[email protected]
www.dm- raad.com
Cvr.nr. :
36669667
. Bank.: Fælleskassen. Reg.nr. 8411. Konto.nr. 8882704000. BIC/Swift. DANBDK22.
IBAN.DK8902778882704000
 URU, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 87: Henvendelse af 25. januar 2017 fra Dansk Marokkansk Råd om handelsaftalerne mellem EU og Marokko
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Dansk Marokkansk Raad
يكرمنادلا يبرغملا يراشتسلاا سلجملا
2. Political rights, Local Governance & Regionalization
As stated above, the Moroccan government has been spending 7 additional dollars in the
Southern provinces for each and every dollar it collected and re-invested locally.
This would
not have been possible without the solidarity of the other Moroccan regions.
The
country has recently launched a global governance reform in order to establish an « advanced
regionalization », devolving political power to local and regional authorities throughout the
country, including the Southern provinces; in order to directly address the local needs of
citizens and improve political accountability on national and local levels.
Every time a local and or a national election is held, participation rates in the Southern
provinces highly exceeds national ones, demonstrating clear Saharan enthusiasm about
Moroccan governance and political life.
On September 4th, 2015, the participation rate in
regional elections stood at 53.67% nationwide, but neared 80% in the Sahara region. Likewise,
on October the 7th, 2016, the participation rate in national elections stood at 43 % nationwide,
but neared 62 % in the Sahara region.
The elected representatives are the legitimate representatives of the southern provinces of the
Kingdom of Morocco, unlike the polisario, a separatist movement, which presents itself as the
sole representative of these provinces.
The Saharan population is represented by 52 deputies and local representatives in the
Moroccan national Parliament.
Locally-elected institutions include three regional councils
and 87 local councils. More than 6000 NGOs are active in the region. The numbers and facts
speak loudly for themselves and answer Hans Corell’s interrogation regarding the « need to
consent with local population on their matters ».
Most importantly, the Moroccan 2011 constitution recognizes and preserves the country’s
cultural diversity. The preamble states that « national unity was forged by the convergence of
Arab-Islamic, Amazigh and Saharan-Hassani components and enriched by ‘African,
Andalusian, Mediterranean and Hebrew’ heritage ». The Arabic language is no longer the only
official language of the country.
The Constitution urges the State to preserve the Saharan
culture and the Amazigh language as parts of a common heritage for all Moroccans,
without exception.
A national council of languages is responsible for the protection and
development of languages and diverse local cultural expressions.
While protecting the rich
Dansk Marokkansk Raad
Dortheavej. 14. 2400 København NV - Tlf. 00 45 26 85 22 03 - Fax. 00 45 38 86 22 03 - Email.:
[email protected]
www.dm- raad.com
Cvr.nr. :
36669667
. Bank.: Fælleskassen. Reg.nr. 8411. Konto.nr. 8882704000. BIC/Swift. DANBDK22.
IBAN.DK8902778882704000
 URU, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 87: Henvendelse af 25. januar 2017 fra Dansk Marokkansk Råd om handelsaftalerne mellem EU og Marokko
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Dansk Marokkansk Raad
يكرمنادلا يبرغملا يراشتسلاا سلجملا
diversity of the Moroccan national identity, the country has broadened in recent years
its strategy to fight religious extremism, under the leadership of King Mohammed VI.
3. International Aid to Tindouf Camps, The need of a Census
The Kingdom of Morocco strongly urges national policy-makers as well as international
analysts to always bring the human being and local populations’ empowerment at the center of
any strategy or debate concerning the Moroccan Southern provinces.
Accordingly, Morocco is extremely concerned about the harsh and deplorable conditions that
the Saharan refugees endure in the camps established by the Polisario on Algerian soil. Again, it
is important to look at the facts.
The EU Commission allocates annually € 10 million for Tindouf camps population. Yet, a
recent report issued by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) revealed the existence of mass
embezzlement of European aid sent to the Tindouf populations, with networks involved in
large-scale diversion of the international humanitarian assistance, and noted that aid was
extended on the basis of inaccurate figures, since no census of the population has ever been
conducted. “ Algeria and Polisario have refused despite repeated calls from the UN’s refugee
agency and Union Nations Secretary General, to identify and record Tindouf populations”, said
OLAF.
Over the past four decades, the UNHCR, the World Food Program (WFP) and the European
Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) have been unanimous in their recognition of the embezzlement on
international aid sent to Tindouf’s residents. The fraud has reportedly been conducted at the
hands of Algerian officials and Polisario leaders.
Any human rights or local empowerment advocate must ask : why does Algeria still refuse to
issue a mere asylum card to refugees on its soil for decades ? Why are they being denied their
most basic human rights of mobility, trade and acquisition ?
Morocco strongly urges the international community to call on Algeria to conduct a refugee
registration process backed by the UNHCR to acquire an accurate count of the camps’
population so that aid supplies can be distributed accurately. The only way to know the exact
number is by allowing the UNHCR to conduct a census.
Dansk Marokkansk Raad
Dortheavej. 14. 2400 København NV - Tlf. 00 45 26 85 22 03 - Fax. 00 45 38 86 22 03 - Email.:
[email protected]
www.dm- raad.com
Cvr.nr. :
36669667
. Bank.: Fælleskassen. Reg.nr. 8411. Konto.nr. 8882704000. BIC/Swift. DANBDK22.
IBAN.DK8902778882704000
 URU, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 87: Henvendelse af 25. januar 2017 fra Dansk Marokkansk Råd om handelsaftalerne mellem EU og Marokko
1716739_0005.png
Dansk Marokkansk Raad
يكرمنادلا يبرغملا يراشتسلاا سلجملا
Likewise, several European and international bodies have called for a census of Tindouf
populations in order to put an end to the embezzlement of the humanitarian aid sent for these
populations. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica
Mogherini, said not only she was in favor of a census of Tindouf camps population, she also
believes that a census is « key to solve the Sahara dispute ».
“The EU maintains its view that the agreements between Morocco and the European Union do
not violate international law (…) The agricultural agreement, meanwhile, remains in force.”
concludes Federica Mogherini.
Conclusion
Based on the foregoing, it is clear that the claim that Morocco exploits the Saharan natural
resources is a politicized claim that is not based on accurate and objective data. Its goal is rather
to weaken Morocco’s position vis-a-vis international public opinion, which has little knowledge,
if any, of the different aspects of the conflict.
Quite the contrary, Morocco is determined to implement its global autonomy plans and
economic development projects in its Southern provinces, in line with the proposal it presented
to the Security Council in April 2007. And
while the Kingdom of Morocco welcomes any
constructive criticism aiming at improving local populations’ vital needs, it deeply
regrets the politicized fallacious use of the « natural resources » argument to shamefully
call on the international community to refrain from buying Moroccan Saharan goods.
Those who call for an international boycott of Saharan goods are the same ones responsible for
the massive humanitarian-aid embezzlement that has been ongoing for decades in Saharan
refugee camps. They most certainly serve their own political agendas; and do not represent nor
seek to defend the rights and well-being of the Saharan people.
Dansk Marokkansk Raad
Dortheavej. 14. 2400 København NV - Tlf. 00 45 26 85 22 03 - Fax. 00 45 38 86 22 03 - Email.:
[email protected]
www.dm- raad.com
Cvr.nr. :
36669667
. Bank.: Fælleskassen. Reg.nr. 8411. Konto.nr. 8882704000. BIC/Swift. DANBDK22.
IBAN.DK8902778882704000