Fertilizer company "hopes for liberation of Western Sahara"

Fertilizer producer Yara receives criticism in Norway for its 2008
phosphate purchase from Western Sahara. The company answers they hope
Western Sahara "will be liberated one day, and then the inhabitants
will benefit if we can receive their phosphate quickly".

The article below appeared on 5 February 2009 in the Norwegian daily
newspaper Adresseavisen.



Yara Profits from the Occupation
The fertiliser giant Yara is the chief sponsor of the International
Student Festival in Trondheim (ISFiT). The company has bought
phosphate from Morocco, mined in occupied Western Sahara, where this
year's winner of the Students' Peace Prize is from.

Adresseavisen
5 February 2009 [see original Norwegian text here]

Last summer Norwatch revealed that Yara imported phosphate from
occupied Western Sahara, contrary to the request of the UN and the
Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Yara may have paid close to 40
million kroners (4,3 million euros) to a Moroccan state-owned
company. The situation has been reported to the police.

"We call it pure war profiteering; Yara has profited from the
occupation," Ronny Hansen, the leader of the Norwegian Support
Committee for Western Sahara, stated.

"How do you feel about Yara sponsoring ISFiT?"

"Yara finances important work being carried out by ISFiT, and that
has not hindered them from awarding the peace prize to someone from
Western Sahara. But we have urged ISFiT to take up the problem with
Yara," Hansen said. Yara claims the phosphate purchase is a one-time
shipment. The company has also bought phosphate from the area
earlier, and in 2005 they promised to stop this after being
criticised by the Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry, one of
Yara's owners.

Prize Winner Criticises Yara
Elkouria "Rabab" Amidane (23 years) from Western Sahara has been
awarded the students' peace prize for 2009. "Yara has participated in
maintaining the occupation. Western Sahara is losing its own natural
resources. Morocco uses foreign companies to legitimate the
occupation," Amidane stated. She believes that Norwegian companies
within oil and fisheries also participate in creating jobs for
Moroccan settlers.

The sponsorship agreement with Yara was entered into before the
phosphate purchase in the summer of 2008.

"But we would probably not have considered the case differently after
the purchase became known. We were also aware of the phosphate
purchase in 2005, but we choose to look forwards," Trygve Thorson,
leader of ISFiT, said. ISFiT will continually assess the
collaboration in case such a purchase should recur.
"Collaborating with large international companies, including Yara, is
never problem-free," according to Thorson, who emphasises that they
do not support the phosphate purchase.

The amount with which Yara has sponsored ISFiT is confidential. But
the commercial sector's total sponsorship constitutes 20% of ISFiT's
budget, which amounts to about NKR 6 million (684.000 euros).

Change in Resources for Peace Prize
The students' peace prize receives money through ISFiT. "We
disapprove of all such trade," Thor Richard Isaksen, the leader of
the students' peace prize, stated.
He strongly recommends that the students' next peace prize be
completely separated from sponsor means. "This case has shown that it
can be problematic," he said.

The Finance and Environmental Crime Section of the Oslo police has
received the Yara report, and police attorney Ragnvald Brekke has
stated that they will soon consider whether they will inquire into
the case. Public relations director Bente G. H. Slaatten of Yara has
stated that their competitors use phosphate from Western Sahara.

"We imported one cargo last year because of our reorganisation in
Norway; we wanted to test the phosphate. We hope that the country
will be liberated one day, and then the inhabitants will benefit if
we can receive their phosphate quickly," Slaatten said.

She also stated that they bought phosphate in 2005 but stopped
because the government advised against it.

[Translated to English by the Norwegian Support Committee for Western
Sahara]


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Source: http://www.wsrw.org/index.php?
parse_news=single&cat=105&art=1067

See also:
Yara under police investigation for Western Sahara shipments, 11
November 2008
Norwatch: Yara Ignored Norwegian Ethical Standards, 27 August 2008

Norwatch: The Government Knew about the Yara Transaction , 27 August
2008