madam president i thank this house for a very timely discussion on western sahara
i am answering on behalf of catherine ashton on the basis of the oral questions put forward by members of the parliament
the european union is worried about the events which took place in laâyoune at the beginning of november and it regrets the loss of lives
now calm has returned to laâyoune even though underlying tensions still remain
the european union is worried that the violent outburst witnessed in laâyoune could hamper the united nations secretary-general's attempts to find a mutually-acceptable solution to the western sahara conflict
regarding the concerns we are talking about today we shall make sure that they reach the moroccan authorities through the appropriate channels
the issue of western sahara is on the agenda of the association council's next meeting in december
it could also be raised within the joint parliamentary committee between the european parliament and morocco
the european union continues to be engaged with morocco on reforms in areas such as good governance the rule of law and respect for human rights
the european union maintains a good and frank policy dialogue with morocco within the bodies responsible for the follow-up of our association agreement
within this framework the european union has reminded our partner of the importance of it abiding by the international commitments it has undertaken regarding respect for human rights
as for the use of western sahara's natural resources it is morocco's responsibility to comply with its obligations under international law including those related to the use of western sahara's natural resources
the european union supports the efforts of the united nations secretary-general with a view to achieving a just lasting and mutually acceptable political solution which will provide for the self-determination of the people of western sahara in agreement with the security council resolutions
