Algeria, Polisario Front welcome EU cancellation of trade deal with Morocco

Algeria and the Polisario Front welcomed on Friday the EU’s Court of Justice Court cancellation of a trade deal between the EU and Morocco because of its involvement in the Western Sahara.

In a statement, the Polisario Front said that this decision is a victory for its efforts as it filed a complaint to the EU Court noting that the Western Sahara region is not part of Morocco.

“This ruling reinforces the political positions of the Polisario Front, which is the only side that decides how to use the [Western Sahara’s] natural resources,” the statement added. It noted that it is ready to go for immediate and unconditional negotiations over the issue.

Commenting on the ruling, Algeria said in a statement issued by its foreign minister that the EU’s Court of Justice “has done justice to the people of the occupied Western Sahara.”

The Algerian statement added: “The Court’s decision is also a clear rejection of the de-facto policy and reminds the international community of its duty to abide by international law.”

After the end of the Spanish occupation in 1975, Morocco took control of most of the Western Sahara. Residents in the territory then launched a war of independence led by the Polisario Front.

In 1991, the UN brokered a ceasefire between Morocco and the Polisario Front, but UN has so far failed to organise a referendum on the territory’s future.