Compaore: OAU can resort to vote to decide on SADR status
Morocco-West Sahara-OAU, Politics, 6/12/1998

President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso hinted that African Heads of state can resort to a vote to decide on the status of the so-called Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, after it is examined by the foreign ministers of the Organization of African Unity next February in Addis Ababa.

"We have procedures in our organization, and when an issue is so important that it requires a vote, it is discussed at the ministers council, before making a decision," President Compare said at a press conference at the end of the 34th OAU summit, which his country hosted this week.

A heated last-minute debate on the status of the self-proclaimed SADR, whose admission sparked a walk-out by founder member Morocco in the early 80s, took place on Tuesday during the Ouagadougou summit.

The issue divided the participants into three blocs, the first calling for the SADR's expulsion, the second backing its maintenance and a silent majority, the African heads of state who entrusted the OAU Foreign Ministers Council with debating the issue.

President Compaore said the OAU will wait for the foreign ministers to refer the issue back to the Pan-African body, Map reported.

"What is essential is to talk about the concerns and pinpoint the shortcomings of our organization's texts," President Compaore said.

"This is the first time that we noted that the Sadr, which entered the OAU on the basis of Article 28, stipulating that a state can be admitted by the majority of the member states, is now recognized by a minority in the OAU," the new OAU acting chairman argued.

Morocco's permanent representative to the United Nations, Ahmed Snoussi told "Voice of America" that the Ouagadougou summit tried to correct the injustice committed against Morocco.

He said that several countries that had recognized the Sahrawi republic withdrew such recognition when they realized the mistake they had made.

Snoussi said that even inside the United Nations the majority of countries recognize that the Sahara issue was fabricated and that it is high time to definitively shelve the dossier.

Previous Stories:
  Morocco advances cause on Sahrawi-Sadr issue   (6/11/1998)
  Some 64,200 would-be voters identified for Sahara referendum   (6/8/1998)
  Moroccan-African cooperation increased, despite withdrawal from OAU   (6/8/1998)

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