Concession of oil prospecting license: Morocco calls Spain to respect international law
Morocco-Spain, Politics, 12/28/2001

Morocco called Spain on Thursday to abide by the international law provisions and norms and to abstain from unilaterally modifying present data on the maritime spaces in the region, in conformity with the Morocco-Spain friendship, cooperation and neighborliness agreement, said communication and culture minister, Mohamed Achaari, at the end of a government meeting on Thursday.

Reacting to the Spanish decision to grant an oil exploring license to Spanish company "Repsol" to prospect oil in a maritime zone located in front of the Moroccan southern city of Tarfaya, the Moroccan government reminds Spanish authorities of the need to respect international laws and customs, that ban unilateral maritime delimitation between countries having opposite or contiguous coasts. International laws and customs stipulate that such delimitation should be set in agreement between the two countries in order to reach a fair solution for all sides and taking into account specificities of each region.

The Moroccan government statement came as a response to an announcement that the Spanish government approved a decree authorizing Spanish company "Repsol" to conduct oil prospecting in a maritime zone located between the Canary Islands, precisely along the islands of Fuerte Ventura and Lanzarote, in front of the Moroccan city of Tarfaya.

The Moroccan government said pending more details on the degree and the size of the concerned zone and particularly on whether the license covers a maritime location extending beyond the territorial waters of the Canary Islands, it reminds Spanish authorities of the need to respect international laws and customs.

Morocco had summoned the Spanish ambassador in Rabat last March, when it heard that Repsol had applied for an oil prospecting license in the said zone, to express concerns and draw attention to the seriousness of negative incidence on bilateral relations in case the Spanish authorities decide to give a positive answer to the Spanish company.

"The Spanish government perfectly knows that international laws and customs make a clear distinction between the rights of continental countries, like Morocco, over their maritime zones and those of islands belonging to other countries, as is the case for the Canary Islands. It also knows that geographic and geologic studies show clearly that the Moroccan continental plateau does not stop at the median line," said Achaari.

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