John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Question 266: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if it is intended to allow Irish fishing boats to fish in the waters of Western Sahara following the agreement between the EU and Morocco despite the fact that the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara has been found to be illegal by the International Court of Justice. [23588/06]

John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland has been a firm supporter of the right to self-determination of the people of the Western Sahara, and the Government remains firmly committed to this principle.

At the Fisheries Council in May 2006 which ratified the agreement, Ireland made the following statement to the Council setting down its position on the Fisheries agreement in relation to the Western Sahara situation: Ireland supports the conclusion of the Fisheries partnership Agreement between the European Community and the Kingdom of Morocco on the basis that it does not prejudice the long-standing position of the EU on the status of the Western Sahara. The EU continues to support the efforts of the UN Secretary General to encourage a negotiated solution which will allow the people of the Western Sahara to exercise their right to self-determination. Ireland emphasises the importance of the future dialogue within the EU-Morocco Joint Committee foreseen under this agreement. It is essential that the Joint Committee make use of all instruments under the Agreement to ensure that the Agreement is implemented to the benefit of all the people concerned and in accordance with the principles of international law. Under the terms of the Regulation, Ireland was allocated 2,500 tonnes of pelagic fish per annum. The conditions in place for Irish fishing boats will be the same as will apply to all EU fishing boats under the terms of the agreement.