Greens call on firms to cut ties with W Sahara occupiers

Greens call on firms to cut ties with Western Sahara occupiers

Senator Scott Ludlam, Wednesday May 18th, 2011

The Australian Greens have called on Australian companies to sever all ties
with Moroccan firms involved in the occupation of Western Sahara.

The Greens justice spokesperson, Senator for Western Australia Scott Ludlam,
said the African Union and more then 80 governments around the world refuse
to recognise the Moroccan conquest of Western Sahara and Australian
companies should withdraw from deals with the occupation forces.

"Morocco's army rolled into Western Sahara in 1975 after the Spanish
withdrew. Since then, the vast majority of the country has been subject to a
brutal occupation," he said. "No Australian company should be doing business
with organisations profiting from this manifestly unjust state of affairs."

"Moroccan state company OCP is mining phosphate in Western Sahara and
selling it to CSBP Fertilisers, a Kwinana-based subsidiary of Wesfarmers.
OCP is essentially stealing from Western Sahara and profiting from the
brutality of the military occupation - do Australian companies really want
to support this?"

Senator Ludlam has requested a meeting with Wesfarmers executive general
manager Alan Carpenter to discuss the need for the company to drop its ties
with the occupation of Western Sahara as soon as possible.

"The Moroccan government needs to be reminded again and again that the
occupation will not be tolerated. Doing business with one of the state
companies actively exploiting the occupied land is essentially endorsing the
illegal, repressive and violent conquest of Western Sahara."

Sahrawi woman Aicha Dahane, sister of human rights activist Brahim Dahane,
fled Western Sahara in 2002 after enduring harassment from Moroccan police.
She is now International Officer for the Forum for the Future of Sahrawi
Women and will be speaking in today, Thursday May 19th, at 6.30pm at the
Reception Room of Fremantle Town Hall, Western Australia.

ENDS

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