WSRW requests UN to refrain from paying for Moroccan King in Western Sahara | Sahara Press Service

Sun, 07/08/2012 - 1:30pm   Tags:

• Western Sahara

Brussels, July 8, 2012 (SPS) - Western Sahara Resource Watch requested the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the United Nations, now considering supporting a project for the Moroccan King in occupied Western Sahara in partnership with German company Siemens, to reconsider the matter, in a communiqué published on its website.

“At the same time that the UN is working hard to create trust between the parties to negotiate a solution to the conflict, the same UN is now considering to finance the King of Morocco’s personal companies doing business in the occupied territory,” stated the communiqué.

Western Sahara Resource Watch believes that Clean Development Mechanism now risks to directly “undermine” the very same peace talks that UN is facilitating, aiming to reach a settlement in framework of the UN, stated the communiqué.

The mechanism is now considering an application to finance the construction of the Foum El Oued Wind Farm Project. A Project Design Document details the proposed construction and operation of forty-four 2.3 megawatt turbines in “a 100 megawatt (MW) grid-connected wind farm in the municipality of Laayoune, 9 km east of the wharf in the south of Morocco.”

However, the mentioned municipality is not in Morocco as the document claimed, but in the territory that Morocco illegally occupies in Western Sahara.

The highly questionable project has been questioned by many - including the Polisario and many organizations that support eight of the Saharawi people to self-determination.

In a letter sent to the UNFCCC secretariat on 14 May 2012, WSRW confirmed that the project “would be done in a territory illegally occupied by Morocco and held by armed force”, adding “We respectfully request that validation of the Foum el Oued wind park project be withheld”

CDM financing is said to be required to ensure that the project is attractive to NAREVA Holding by revenues through the sale of Certified Emissions Reductions (CERs), in a territory its people still waiting to enjoy their right to self-determination.
The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) was established 1997 under the Kyoto protocol to promote clean development in developing countries.

NAREVA Holding, a Moroccan industrial and financial group, is to own and operate the wind farm. According to a recent book regarding the Moroccan king’s personal wealth, Nareva is controlled by the royal family. (SPS)

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