Morocco Intends to return to African fold
North Africa-Morocco, Politics, 6/8/1998

King Hassan II said that Morocco intends to return to the Organization of African Unity (OAU), which it left in mid-1984 to protest the admission of the Sahrawi Republic, MAP reported.

By admitting the Sahrawi Republic (SADR), the OAU violated internal and even international legality, King Hassan II told Burkina Faso's media on the eve of the opening of the 34th OAU summit in Burkina Faso's capital city of Ougadougou.

Morocco withdrew from the OAU in 1984 following the admission of the so-called "SADR", self-proclaimed by the Polisario, with the political backing of neighboring Algeria and the leverage of former OAU Secretary-General Edem Kodjo (Togo).

King Hassan II recalled that the vote that paved the way to the Polisario republic admission to the OAU had been marked by extreme disorder.

"The minutes of the Secretariat-General can still evidence this fact. The vote took place in chaos, rush... We had the impression to witness a hold-up," King Hassan II said.

"This was the first time that we saw a so-called country claiming its admission to a regional organization before having been admitted by the larger international family," the sovereign said, meaning the United Nations.

"We have all gone through this stage, before adhering to the Arab League, the OIC (Organization of Islamic Conference), the Non-Aligned Movement or the OAU. I think this was the case of Burkina Faso too. We have applied first for membership in the United Nations and we obtained it," King Hassan II said. "We are today dealing with illegality and we are compelled to note that what happened is not serious at the international scale and is not worthy of Africa."

The king insisted that the Sahara issue was the product of the cold war, Map reported. He recalled that Africa's map of the eighties shows that "most African countries were painted pink, not to say red" and that all these countries voted for the "SADR".

"Fortunately, there were some wise men who resisted and kept the sound bound," the sovereign said, underlining that if the problem had been posed in 1998, it would not even have been taken into account.

Touching on meetings and discussions between Moroccan and Sahrawi delegates, King Hassan II said he was open to dialogue, while being firm on principles.

"If I engage dialogue with them, it is not to give them the Sahara. it is rather with the aim to convince them to return to Morocco," King Hassan II said. He added that Moroccan envoys have met with them and will continue to meet them.

Previous Stories:
  Morocco voices concern over situation in Africa   (4/27/1998)
  Independence Party calls for reviving the Arab - Moroccan union   (3/28/1998)

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