Western Sahara: CJEU advocate general's opinion paves way for self-determination referendum

BRUSSELS-The opinion expressed by advocate general of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in the case between the Polisario Front and the EU's Council on the Agreement on the liberalisation of trade in agricultural and fishery products with Morocco "paves the way for holding the self-determination referendum in Western Sahara," said lawyer of Polisario Front Gilles Devers.  

"We welcome this opinion which confirms that Morocco has no sovereignty over Western Sahara. The advocate general affirmed that Western Sahara is a territory that must be decolonized. This opinion paves the way for holding the self-determination referendum," he told APS.

In his conclusions published Tuesday, the advocate general emphasized that "the European Union and its Member States have never recognised that Western Sahara is part of Morocco, or that the latter has sovereignty over that territory. Since 1963, Western Sahara has been included by the UN on its list of non-self-governing territories, which comes within the scope of its resolution on the exercise of the right to self-determination by colonial peoples."

According to the lawyer, "everything will change" as the principle of non-sovereignty of Morocco over Western Sahara has been arisen.