Abstract

Western Sahara’s coastal waters have become contentious because of seabed petroleum exploration and fisheries undertaken pursuant to treaties between Morocco and the European Union, Japan, and Russia. These activities have been protested by the territory’s government-in-exile, the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic. In 2017 Morocco announced its intention to adopt legislation to create an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) on the territory’s coast. This article considers the status of Saharan coastal waters in the circumstances of decolonization and occupation. The obligations on states interested in exploring and extracting Saharan ocean resources are considered and are argued to be restrictive regardless of the status of the territory’s coastal waters and recognition of a Saharawi state.

摘要

由于摩洛哥和欧盟，日本和俄罗斯之间的条约所进行的海底石油勘探和渔业，西撒哈拉的沿海水域引起了争议。这些活动遭到该国流亡政府撒哈拉阿拉伯阿拉伯民主共和国的抗议。摩洛哥于2017年宣布打算通过立法在该国海岸创建专属经济区（EEZ）。本文考虑了非殖民化和占领情况下撒哈拉沿海水域的状况。考虑到有兴趣勘探和开采撒哈拉海洋资源的国家的义务是限制性的，无论该领土沿海水域的状况和对撒哈拉维国家的承认如何。