Morocco, Nigeria call for more efforts to solve political and armed conflicts

Morocco and Nigeria called for intensifying efforts to solve political and armed conflicts and promote development and solidarity throughout the African continent.

The appeal was made at a meeting here Thursday between Moroccan premier Abderrahmane El Youssoufi and visiting Nigerian secretary of State for foreign Affairs, Dubem Onyia.

The meeting examined ways of upgrading bilateral cooperation and discussed the role of the monetary and economic western African union in promoting free trade areas and the free movement of persons and goods. Morocco's negotiations on an eventual agreement with the union were also surveyed.

The Nigerian official had held on Wednesday separate talks with speakers of the two chambers of the Moroccan parliament, Abdelouahed Radi and Mohammed Jalal Essaid on questions of mutual interest.

The two sides stressed the need to implement the accords concluded between the two countries, to reinforce and diversify economic cooperation and increase trade exchanges.

At all his talks with Moroccan officials, Dubem Onyia voiced his country's backing to Morocco's territorial integrity and deplored Morocco's withdrawal from the Organization of African Unity (OAU), pointing out that Nigeria and other African countries will endeavor to correct the mistake made by the pan-African organization when it admitted the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Republic (SADR).

Morocco withdrew from the OAU in 1984 following the illegal admission of the so-called "Sahrawi Republic" (SADR), self-proclaimed by the polisario, with the political backing of neighboring Algeria and the leverage of former OAU Secretary-General, Edem Kodjo (Togo), who was known for his vowed hostility to Morocco.

Anyia, who started Tuesday a work visit to Morocco, co-chaired with Moroccan Secretary of State for foreign affairs, Taib Fassi Fihri, the inaugural meeting of the Moroccan-Nigerian joint commission.