EU-MOROCCO FISHERIES PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT

That this House notes the imminent vote on 10 December 2013 in the European Parliament on the new Protocol to the EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement; acknowledges that the Government to date has not supported this protocol which, if approved, would be in clear violation of international law because it includes the Western Sahara (WS) territorial waters; further notes that the WS remains under illegal Moroccan occupation and no country recognises Moroccan sovereignty over it and so any agreement with Morocco should exclude the WS territories and its natural resources; recognises that the European Parliament voted against the same protocol 12 months ago; and calls on all MEPs to send a positive message to the Saharawi people and vote against the Protocol and to support the United Nations in its efforts to reach a just, lasting solution to this long-running conflict.