02 February 2001
War on Want is today seeking legal advice with a view to requesting a judicial review of the British government’s 1999 decision to sell gun parts to Morocco for heavy artillery guns in the disputed territory of the Western Sahara.
In the Joint Select Committee meeting on Tuesday foreign secretary Robin Cook admitted that the parts were destined for specific use in the disputed territory of Western Sahara. However, Foreign Office and European Union guidelines advise that neither guns nor spare parts should be sent to regions where they could be used for internal repression or to stake a territorial claim.
A Foreign Office memo issued yesterday clearly states that the spare parts were destined for heavy guns stationed along the wall, called the ‘Berm’, that Morocco erected to maintain their occupation of Western Sahara. Therefore it is clear that the parts are being used by Morocco to strengthen their territorial claim in Western Sahara, so the Foreign Office have contravened their own guidelines.
War on Want has worked with the Saharawi people for the past 15 years. The 25-year conflict has prevented 150,000 Saharawi refugees from returning to their homes in Western Sahara, and reduced them to living in abject poverty in makeshift refugee camps over the Algerian border.
War on Want Senior Campaigner, Steve Tibbett, said, "War on Want is currently collecting toys for the children living in the camps, while the government’s decision to sell arms spares to Morocco strengthens that country’s ability to continue its occupation of Western Sahara, which has caused so much poverty and despair among the Saharawi people".
"Why is the British government exporting gun parts in contravention of its own guidelines? We are concerned that the government is using the UN’s advice - that the licence would not violate the 1991 cease-fire between Morocco and Western Sahara - as a smokescreen for pursuing British commercial interests".
Notes for editors
Posted by Roger Lovejoy 24th April, 2002