Saharawis win one!

[brim]

Oil - Kerr-McGee leaves Western Sahara (Reuters, Afrol News, Upstream Online)

Saharawis and campaigners were jubilant at news that US oil company is ending its controversial association with Moroccos occupation of Western Sahara and not renewing its reconaissance licence for territorys offshore waters (the Boujdour block). We have decided not to renew our recon permit a spokesman told Reuters Ben Berkowitz, the block does not fit with our strategy.



A SADR statement welcomed the decision, thanking all the friends and supporters worldwide who have objected to Kerr McGees presence in our country, and have tirelessly campaigned to put pressure on it to withdraw. It reiterated that any exploitation of the resources of the country without the permission of its indigenous people is illegal, and promised that the Saharawi people will continue to use all available means to protect the resources of Western Sahara from exploitation by the occupying Moroccan regime. The SADR awarded oil exploration licences earlier this year to a number of companies, conditional on the conflict being resolved and Western Sahara gaining independence.



Speaking to Afrol news (www.afrol.com), Carlos Wilson, activist with the international coalition Western Sahara Resource Watch, said that he believed that pressure, from international activists and Saharawis, had in fact played a key role. He recalled the withdrawal of KMG subcontractors and the Norwegian governments sale of its shares in the company for ethical reasons. He also pointed to the impact of a letter to KMG from Saharawi political prisoners, in which they appealed to the company as professed Christians to take the ethical course of action. Mr Wilson said that the response from the Christian community of Oklahoma, where KMG are based, has been massive: hundreds, if not thousands, of concerned individual Christians … actually contacted the company he told Afrol.



It was in 2001 that Morocco granted one year reconaissance licences to Kerr-McGee and Total of France. Prospects for the companies had looked uncertain from February 2002, when a UN legal opinion ruled that a move from reconaissance to oil exploitation would be illegal without the consent of the people of Western Sahara. The licences were renewed annually until Total withdrew in 2004. Kerr-McGee continued but soon switched to 6 monthly renewals, timed to coincide with UN Security Council discussions of the conflict. Along the way a number of subcontractors had withdrawn after meeting with campaigners, and investors had sold $60m of KMG shares to avoid association with the companies activities.

[-thetruth_]

wow that must be the best news a terrorist group have waited for. congulation( NOT congratulation)

[Amazigh Man]

I $hit on Polisario!

*SADR!

*polisario terrorists!

*Abdel-aziz Murakshi!

Polisario are Arab a$$holes who are financed by Algeria's sick generals.

they wanna have an "arab republic'' in southern Morocco!!! they won't succeede! never!

no F-word

[PipeRomeo]

If the government is not going to provide any type of services or civil functions, i dont see why they want anything to do with the Western Sahara..The people that live there want to take the responsibility of caring for themselves into their own hands, i dont see why the King thinks he is entitled to rule over them and just turn it into another dysfunctional backwater...

Thats the problem with the Middle East and North Africa, there are dictators that feel that the countries they control are their personal playgrounds, they take what they want, when they want it...There needs to be a social contract between ruler and ruled, this is the first step to having a civil society..The actions of the people are a reflection of their leadership, if you have a corrupt leadership, then most likely the people are corrupted as well...Personally, i dont see how anyone can take themselves seriously while calling themselves a King, wake up and join the 21st century...

I support secession from dictatorial regimes, whether they be Arabs in Morocco or Berbers in Egypt..If they see a void in the government's basic responsabilities of civil rule, then they have the right to take their destiny into their own hands...