Saharawi Center For Media and Communication call Kosmos Energy to halt Oil drilling in occupied waters
In a letter addressed to Kosmos Energy company, The Saharawi Center For Media and Communication, based in occupied El Aaiun Western Sahara, has expressed its vehement indignation and total refusal of the illegal upcoming Oil drilling that this company is about to conduct in the occupied territories of Western Sahara. In its letter, the Center has strongly denounced the company’s decision to start drilling in the cape Boujador, Boujdour block zone “it is illegal for international companies to operate in the land and coastal waters of Western Sahara without the consent of its people and without them being consulted and benefiting from these business operations”
Contrary to the heresies of Kosmos Energy that fraudulently claimed that the discovery and exploitation of Oil will help resolving the conflict, the letter stressed that “Such illegal business is also a direct threat to the whole peace settlement as it puts at stake the right of self-determination by ignoring international law and legality.” To provide solid arguments, the Center reiterated that “On February 5th, 2002 in a letter made public at UN Headquarters in New York, the senior UN Legal Counsel Hans Corell responded to a Security Council request for an opinion on the legality of certain contracts signed by Morocco with foreign companies to explore for mineral resources in Western Sahara. Mr. Corell determined that oil prospecting by foreign companies in disregard of the interests of the people of Western Sahara – the Sahrawi people – would violate international legal principles dealing with territories administered by another country. The Legal Counsel also concluded that as such the specific contracts of the time dealt with in the Security Council’s request were not in themselves illegal. If, however, further exploration and exploitation activities were to proceed without respect to the interests and wishes of the people of Western Sahara, the contracts would be in violation of the international legal principles dealing with non-self-governing territories. We are now at that point”
The letter, thus, warned the company of the consequences of such move that will only engender unstability not only in occupied Western Sahara but in the whole region “By starting oil drilling operations off Cape Bojador, your company would damage world peace, and hurt the Saharwis and their just cause. By signing an exploration agreement with Morocco, you are going against international efforts to find a just and a mutually accepted solution for the conflict. At the same time, the center alerted the company of Morocco’s real objectives from such deal “by joining hands with Morocco, you are consolidating its sovereignty over Western Sahara. This is exactly what Morocco needs to put the final nail in the coffin of the Sahrawi people”
Last but not least, the Center called the company to reconsider its decision and to stick by ethical business norms and international law and justice “We think that it is time your company considered the matter afresh, and whether unethical potential revenues can ever be balanced against the obvious risks to the Sahrawi people”
