Malabo (Equatorial Guinea), November 24, 2016 (SPS) - Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the African Union countries have prevented Morocco from succeeding in its attempt to destabilize AU and creating division among its members, by conditioning its participation by its refusal to sit alongside the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), which a founding member of the Pan-African Organization.
Morocco, supported by some Arab countries, conditioned its participation at the summit by the non-participation of the SADR, which was flatly rejected by the African countries which insisted on the inviolability of the African Protocol. This strong position forced the Moroccan delegation and that of some Arab countries, especially the Gulf, to decline their assistance.
African leaders wished to remind their Arab counterparts that both the Saharawi and Palestinian issues are a matter of decolonization, therefore both must be supported by all.
Morocco has recently announced its intention to join the African Union, of which the SADR is a founding member, fact that the Saharawi Foreign Minister, Mohamed Salem Uld Salek has referred to, saying that this should be in line with the principles of The AU Constitutive Act and with respect for the principle of the intangibility of the borders inherited of colonialism.
The Saharawi foreign minister also indicated that if Morocco wishes to be a member of the Union, it must recognize and abide by the resolutions of the African Union and the UN concerning Western Sahara and also define its true political map.SPS
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