BHP Urged To Dump Unethical Phosphate Trade In Its Takeover Of Potashcorp
The Australia Western Sahara Association today urged BHP-Billiton to suspend PotashCorp’s trade in phosphate from
Western Sahara if its takeover bid is successful.
President of AWSA, Lyn Allison, said “If BHP cares anything for business ethics, social responsibility and international
law, it will not allow the Canadian fertiliser corporation to buy further Western Saharan phosphate from Morocco.”
WSRW has asked for an urgent meeting with BHP in Melbourne, to discuss the human rights element of the possible
take-over.
The Canadian fertiliser company is a major importer of phosphate from the disputed territory of Western Sahara occupied
by Morocco.
AWSA is the local member of the Western Sahara Resource Watch international network covering 36 countries around the
world asking corporations to cease exploiting Western Sahara’s natural resources until the decolonisation process is
complete. Morocco invaded Western Sahara in 1975, as Indonesia did in East Timor and Iraq in Kuwait.
The Canadian fertiliser company PotashCorp is today the biggest importer of phosphate rock from the territory of Western
Sahara, occupied by Morocco. By ignoring calls from investors and WSRW over the trade, PotashCorp has been blacklisted
by ethically-minded investors in Europe. Now, this human rights issue could end on BHP’s table.
“The Moroccan export of phosphates from the territory contributes to financing the occupation and appears to condone the
poor human rights situation in Western Sahara. BHP should know that it is entering into very unethical territory upon
acquiring PotashCorp”, former senator, Lyn Allison, said.
BHP in the 1980s withdrew from oil exploration in the territory due to the political situation.
“We believe that with this track-record, BHP will be in a position to put a stop to the unethical trade if taking over
PotashCorp. It does not want to be associated with this illegal and unethical trade”, stated Allison.
In 2002 the UN legal department’s head, Hans Corell, delivered a legal opinion saying that two conditions must be
satisfied for any exploitation of resources to be legal, it must follow the wishes of the Saharawi people and the trade
must be to their benefit. “We know of no attempt by the Moroccan phosphate company OCP to seek the consent of the
Saharawi people to export these phosphates. On the other hand, we are well aware of their constant protests against the
plunder of their natural resources,” said Cate Lewis of WSRW.
“On 2 August and 9 August peaceful demonstrations on this very topic were held outside the Ministry of Mines & Energy in El Aaiun (capital of occupied Western Sahara)” she added, “these were broken up brutally by the Moroccan
security forces”, see:
British press on BHP takeover bid and human rights
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/potash-bid-drags-bhp-into-saharan-fight-2058622.html
Reuters has reported the story as well:
Further information: