Morocco wants to place a defender of the occupation of Western Sahara in the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelfthe UN body in charge of analyzing and proposing the limits of the maritime borders that separate Spanish waters in the Canary Islands from those of Rabat.
The Moroccan Government is trying to convince the States that the jurist Miloud Loukili have a position in this body, as denounced this Thursday by the Western Sahara Resource Watch. This is a person with firm positions in the legitimization of the occupation, which is clearly important, since part of the disputed waters in the Canary Islands area are located in front of the Saharawi territory that Morocco claims as its own.
At an event in 2018, Loukili stressed that it was “absolutely necessary to sensitize international public opinion, on all fronts, regarding the legality of the Moroccan position” in Western Sahara. “I am a jurist specialized in international law, more particularly in the Law of the Sea. And I must, modestly, give my contribution to enlighten national public opinion and especially international public opinion, about what is happening in our Sahara”, he continued. the.
In an interview for the MAP news agency, Louki went so far as to describe the Polisario Front as “terrorists” and also charged harshly against the “delaying maneuvers of the Algerian authorities.” “It is about showing solidarity with all the Moroccan Sahrawis kidnapped in the Tindouf camps so that they can return to their homeland,” he said, in a clear reference to Rabat’s sovereign vision of the former Spanish colony.
In addition to the position on the Sahara, the proposal makes no sense from a technical point of view, since the very regulations of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf they establish that its members, 21 members, “must be experts in the field of geology, geophysics or hydrography”, who will be chosen by the States with “equitable” geographical representation.
Elections of the members of the Commission shall be held at a meeting of the States Parties to be convened by the UN Secretary General. Those designated to integrate this body must receive the quorum of the countries, that is, obtain a majority of two thirds of the votes. That is why Morocco is trying to gather support so that its candidate has the capacity to influence the decisions of this committee and legitimize the occupation of the Occidental Sahara before the international community.
As confirmed PublicMorocco is sending letters to various diplomatic representatives to try to get a favorable vote for its candidate, despite the fact that his political profile collides squarely with the scientific-technical essence of this UN Commission.
In addition to being a lawyer, Loukili has been a researcher and professor at the Mohamed V University of Rabat and has published numerous articles on maritime law. He has also held public positions, such as director of the Merchant Navy, linked to the Moroccan Ministry of Equipment and Transport, and has worked as an advisor to the cabinet of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.
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