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New Zealand urged to stop illegal importation of Sahrawi phosphates

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Wellington, 3 August 2020 (SPS) - Representative of the Polisario Front in Australia and New Zealand, Kamal Fadel, urged New Zealand to stop imports of Saharawi phosphates, saying that this illegal trade only "prolongs" the Moroccan occupation and thus "the repression of the Sahrawi people."
"It's time for you to stop what you're doing. They cannot continue to promote the occupation," the Sahrawi diplomat said on Sunday during a programme on New Zealand's national television, "Channel 3", on the illegal exploitation of Sahrawi phosphate.
Recalling the occupation of this Non-Self-Governing Territory by Morocco, Kamal Fadel noted that only New Zealand companies are currently involved in these illegal commercial activities after American, Canadian, Norwegian and many other companies have stopped buying this mineral.
For the Saharawi representative, this is "looting" carried out without the consent of the Saharawi people, deploring the fact that New Zealand companies are contributing to this theft to date by buying an ore "stolen tainted with the blood of the Saharawi people". (SPS)
062/SPS/700