Addis-Abeba, 8 February 2020 (SPS) - A large Sahrawi delegation, led by Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mohamed Salem Ould Salek, took part in the 36th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union (AU), which is held Thursday and Friday in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia).
"This preparatory session of the 33rd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the AU, scheduled for Sunday and Monday, will allow the Foreign Ministers of the Member States "to examine the pending reports on the agenda of the continental organization," indicated the Sahrawi Ministry.
Analyzing the report of the Committee of Permanent Delegates and on the question of the situation of refugees in Africa, Mr. Mohamed Yasslem Baissat, Sahrawi ambassador to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, noted that "the only reference to determine the state and number of refugees around the world remain the Office of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, UNHCR, and the countries hosting them. "
"The speech of the head of the Saharawi diplomacy intervened in response to the failure of Moroccan attempts to pass on certain fallacies and to question the figures adopted by the African Union with regard to Saharawi refugees", he underlined.
The work of the 36th Ordinary Session of the AU Executive Council will be conducted under the chairmanship of Sameh Shoukry, Egyptian Minister for Foreign Affairs, current President of the Executive Council, where the reports of the policy-making bodies within the AU about last year 2019 "towards a permanent solution to forced displacement in Africa", and a report on the progress made in the establishment of the continental free trade zone, will be presented.
The session will also adopt the concept note and roadmap on the theme of the year 2020 “Silencing the Guns: Creating Conductive Conditions for Africa’s Development,” in addition to the provisions relating to the election of new members of certain decision-making bodies of the African Union (SPS).
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