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Stockholm Kiteboardcenter Birkagatan 9 113 36 , 30 April 2017

Request for comments and clarifications Regarding Kite.se and the occupation of Western Sahara

Dear Stockholm Kiteboardcenter

Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW) is privileged to write to you.

In a few months, our association will publish a report regarding the current involvement of Swedish interests in Western Sahara, and the position of the in relation to such business operations.

The study is done in partnership with Emmaus Stockholm. It will describe all Swedish interests in the territory.

The findings of the report will be preliminarily released during Almedalsveckan, while the final report is to be published in September.

The reason we write to you, is that we have noticed that kiteboardcenter.se in 2015 and 2016 published on its website invitations for kiting/kitecamps in Dakhla, Western Sahara: http://kiteboardcenter.se/nyheter/kite-resa-i-vinter-vart-vill-du-aka/ http://www.kiteboardcenter.se/camp.html

On 21 December 2016, the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) issued its judgment in the case v. Front Polisario (C104/16P). The judgement clarifies that Western Sahara is to be treated as a third in the EU- relations, and that no trade agreements can be lawfully applied to the territory unless first having obtained the consent of the representatives of the people of the territory. The judgment confirms and strengthens the position of the International Court of Justice which has found that Morocco has no legal claim to the land.

The judgment furthermore recalls UN General Assembly resolution 34/37 which had called for Morocco to terminate the occupation of the area around Dakhla, which it occupied in 1979.

As you perhaps know, Western Sahara is a so-called non-self-governing territory, in a process of decolonisation, under foreign military occupation by the neighbouring country of Morocco. The legal representative body of the people of the territory, Frente Polisario, has consistently protested against the Moroccan and international in the territory. Leading activists advocating for self- determination are serving life-time in Moroccan jails.

WSRW has five questions to Stockholm Kiteboardcenter: 1) Has your company itself been managing the travels/kitecamps mentioned on your site? 2) If not, which company did? 3) Has the operator of these trips obtained consent from the representatives of Western Sahara for permission to operate courses in the territory? 4) Is Stockholm Kiteboardcenter planning to invite or to organise further such trips into the occupied territory? 5) Does Stockholm Kiteboardcenter agree that kite in the territory – through its marketing and operations - might risk to legitimize and normalize the Moroccan claims to the territory?

Please let us know if our questions are not clear, or if you require additional information to respond. If your response is to be included in the report, we request your reply prior to 15 May 2017. A reply can be sent to [email protected]

Yours sincerely,

/sign./

Erik Hagen Board member, Western Sahara Resource Watch www.wsrw.org