Tunisia, Egypt withdrew from African Union inaugural session as SADR president took the floor
Morocco-Regional, Politics, 7/11/2002

The Tunisian and Egyptian delegations withdrew from the inaugural session of the African Union (AU), held Tuesday afternoon, in Durban, South Africa, when "the president of the SADR," the self-proclaimed Sahrawi republic, took the floor in the name of North Africa, Tunisia's ambassador to Ethiopia and to the OAU, Zouhair Allaoui, told MAP.

"There have been no prior consultations on the country which would speak on behalf of North Africa. This is why our delegation and the Egyptian delegation withdrew from the ceremony when Mohamed Abdelaziz took the floor," said the Tunisian diplomat.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher who was leading his country's delegation to the first AU summit, said he was "surprised to see Mohamed Abdelaziz speak in the name of North Africa."

"If I had known that he was going to speak on our behalf, I would not have attended the ceremony," Maher said.

President of Burkina Faso, Blaise Compaore, had described as "ridiculous" and "valueless" the statement made in the name of North Africa by the president of the whimsical Sahrawi republic at the inaugural session of the AU.

"There are at least thirty African countries which do not recognize the Sahrawi republic. That is why the address of Mohamed Abdelaziz seems to us ridiculous," President Compaore said in a statement to MAP.

Senegalese foreign minister, Cheikh Tidiane Gadio, on his part, voiced his "indignation to see an entity that is not recognized by the international community take the floor," at the inaugural session of the African Union.

"At the time we are talking about Union, some consecrate division," he deplored.

A Cameroonian diplomat who is participating in the Durban summit equally voiced indignation at Abdelaziz's address. "This is an unfriendly act towards Morocco on the part of other Maghreban countries to let "a republic" that does not exist speak on their behalf on the occasion of this historic event," the Cameroonian diplomat said, adding that "Without Morocco, the African Union is lame."

Previous Stories:
  Burkina Faso's Compaore describes as ridicule statement of sahrawi republic president   (7/10/2002)
  South African paper says Morocco should be one of the AU and NEPAD leaders   (7/9/2002)
  Al-Yousefi rejects US threats against certain Arab states   (6/29/2002)

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