Senegalese president calls for end to Polisario affair
President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal called Sunday for an end to the "Polisario and the SADR affair."
"We have to put an end to this affair of the Polisario and the SADR. We cannot continue dragging this story endlessly," Wade said in an interview with the Moroccan second TV channel 2M.
The so-called SADR (Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic) was self-proclaimed by the separatist gang of the Polisario, which claims sovereignty over Morocco's southern provinces.
Wade underlined that the United Nations "offers us, Africans, a solution." "I back the United Nations' solution, but, first, I back Morocco. This should be clear," he said.
The United Nations has been trying since the early 1990's to settle the issue through the holding of a self-determination referendum. The vote is destined to determine whether the Sahara sets up on its own or remains part of the homeland, Morocco.
The referendum, proposed by Morocco in the early 1980's, is botched up by the Polisario, which fearing a Moroccan victory, seeks to shrink voters' lists through the exclusion of thousands of genuine Sahrawis.
Wade underlined that he backs "the path proposed by the United Nations, insisting on the need, in the event of a referendum, to identify and make all Sahrawis vote."
The Senegalese head of state stressed the Organization of African Unity (OAU) cannot settle this issue. "The OAU, which acts like an administration more than anything else, cannot settle this problem, he said, wondering "how can OAU, which has never settled a problem, solve an issue as complicated as that of the Sahara."
Wade voiced hope that Morocco would return to its seat at the OAU during its upcoming summit in Syrte (Libya).
Morocco quit the OAU in the early 1980's to protest the illegal admission of the mirage SADR in the African fold.
Wade, who voiced regret over founder Morocco's departure from OAU, elaborated "several countries want Morocco to come to Syrte and I want it to come. Morocco should be present."
