Royal messages to African heads of state

King Mohammed has sent recently messages to the presidents of Madagascar, Mauritius and Djibouti, the Moroccan foreign affairs and cooperation department said.

The Royal message to the Malgash president, Difier Ratsiraka, was handed to this country's foreign affairs minister, Ms. Lila Ratsi Fabdrihamanana, by Moroccan fisheries minister, Thami Khyari.

The two sides stressed will to enhance bilateral cooperation and start a permanent dialogue to overcome divergences.

Khyari then headed to Port louis, where he handed a similar message to president Gassam Uteem of Mauritius, who deplored the inability of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) to settle inter-African conflicts.

President Uteem said his country backs Morocco's return to the pan-African body.

Morocco quit OAU in the early 1980's to protest the illegal admission of the so-called Sahrawi Republic (SADR/self-proclaimed by the Polisario). The Polisario is an Algeria-backed guerrilla movement that claims sovereignty over Morocco's southern provinces.

President Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti, who also received a message from King Mohammed VI, also stressed his country's backing to Morocco's territorial integrity and to the Kingdom's return to the OAU.

Several African countries, who have been led astray by the Polisario propaganda, withdrew recognition of the fantom republic and called on Morocco to return to its seat at the OAU.