Morocco foils attempt to infiltrate Polisario in islamic world
Morocco, Politics, 6/28/2002

Morocco has foiled an attempt at the foreign ministers meeting of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) to establish official diplomatic channels between the OIC and the Organization of African Unity (OAU) that would have enabled the Polisario to infiltrate the Islamic world.

The attempt, orchestrated by a Nigeria-led small group of African countries, consisted in having the 29th OIC ministerial session in Khartoum endorse a draft cooperation accord between the OIC and the OAU. However, a diplomatic source in Khartoum said, thanks to the stature that King Mohammed VI enjoys with Islamic, Arab and African countries and to the dynamism of the Moroccan diplomacy, the plot was foiled.

Several delegations, mainly those of Senegal, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, Malaysia and Sudan Ðwhich is currently holding the OIC ministerial council rotating chairmanship- supported Morocco which rejected the inclusion of this issue on the agenda and the obstinacy of some countries, including Algeria, to have the OIC adopt the draft agreement in this particular session.

After the experts commission adopted the agenda item in dubious conditions, the Moroccan delegation undertook to warn other delegations of the project's dangers on coherence within the pan-Islamic organization and explained that it is actually targeting to lend legitimacy on the Polisario separatists' activities and their contact within the OIC.

In addition to the Nigerian delegation which sought to have the draft accord endorsed, Minister of State For Foreign Affairs Abdul Aziz Balkhadem, also tried to convince participants of the importance and usefulness of a cooperation agreement between the two regional organizations and urged participants to immediately endorse the project.

After Morocco strongly opposed the project explaining its intentions, Islamic delegations supported the Moroccan stance and decided to delay study of the issue to the upcoming session next year, that is after the OAU has died and has been replaced by the African Union. Consequently, the item will become null as the body sponsoring it will be defunct by then.

The attempt to integrate the Polisario mercenaries within the Islamic fold and counter Morocco's interests failed just like similar efforts in other regional and international organizations and forums, such as the Arab League and the Non-Aligned movement.

Morocco's minister of foreign affairs and cooperation, Mohamed Benaissa, told MAP "as seen on the ground, Morocco is attached to cooperation with African countries at the bilateral, regional and international levels É Consequently we cannot oppose any cooperation between African countries and any regional organization that musters sovereign and UN-recognized states."

Benaissa, who led the Moroccan delegation to the Khartoum session, recalled how the European Union, during the Africa-Europe summit held in 2000 in Cairo, required that only African countries which are member to the UNO shall be allowed to participate, a condition that rolled out the "Sahrawi Republic."

Previous Stories:
  Morocco's premier calls Algeria to respect Moroccan territorial integrity   (6/17/2002)
  Tragic situation of Moroccans jailed by Polisario at heart of talks in Geneva   (6/14/2002)
  Spanish party condemns Canary Islands provocative behavior against Morocco   (6/10/2002)

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